


The Order

by leighwrites



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M, all that fun stuff, car crash, it's silent hill so not good stuff, mcd is not for reddie you're good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-05-28 17:02:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19398526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leighwrites/pseuds/leighwrites
Summary: “You guys lost too?”“Nope. Believe it or not Silent Hill is my actual destination.”- The Silent Hill Au Literally no one asked for but you're getting anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

The hours that they’d spent on the road had been mostly quiet aside from the sound of the low music softly playing from the car radio. The low sounds were somewhat soothing on the darkening road, and at one point Riche had assumed that Eddie had fallen to sleep until he’d looked over to check on him. Eddie was very much still wide awake, staring out at the road ahead. It had been a while since they’d passed another vehicle, since the crappy motel they’d stayed in the night before when Richie had needed to get some rest and check they were still on the right path.

The woman behind the motel desk had been incredibly confused when Richie had asked her if they were going the right way and where the turn-off for their destination was, but she had told them anyway. Yeah, they were going the right way, and the turn-off was still a long ways off. They’d stopped at one gas station and diner combination since. There had been a single truck parked on the lot and both the driver who had been sitting at the counter and the man who had served them couldn’t fathom why they were going where they were going, but they’d still told him there was ten more miles to the turn-off when he’d asked.

_ There, deep, deep in the forest, night children dance the waltz, _

_ They laugh, whispering hand in hand just like children do, _

_ Their eyes, what are they looking for? _

_ White dress flutters the beat, their song,  _

_ Starting to make some sense only if you’re listening _

Richie raised a hand from the steering wheel, stifling a yawn into his fist. “So uh, what  _ exactly _ is in this town anyway?”

Richie had been avoiding asking Eddie the question since Eddie had shown up at his door three days ago in the morning and asked him to take him somewhere, words rushed and almost desperate, but he couldn’t fight the curiosity that clawed at him anymore. He wanted to know what was so important that Eddie had asked to be taken to a town in the middle of nowhere.

_ Dance, dance like butterflies,  _

_ Shadows appear right before my eyes, _

_ Sounds echo the absurd, _

_ Hard to explain something I heard, _

Eddie shifted in his seat, his fingers curling around the edge of the folder that had been sitting on his lap ever since the moment he’d climbed into Richie’s car. “I don’t know. It could be nothing but it could be everything.”

“Did you at least tell your dad where you were going?” Eddie flinched, and it was the only answer Richie needed. No. He hadn’t told him. “Can I ask why?”

Eddie took in a sharp breath, almost trembling as he spoke, and he clutched the folder to his chest like a lifeline. “He’s really nice but he’s not my real dad.”

The confession floored Richie. “ _ What _ ?”

“He said that I was old enough to know the truth.” Eddie continued, gripping at the folder tightly as though it held all the answers in the world, and for Eddie it probably did. “This is my file from a place called Toluca Orphanage. It doesn’t say much inside. Just my name and who adopted me. I want to know… who my parents are and why they gave me up. That’s why I need to go there. But I… I left him a letter. I just didn’t want to talk to him in person about it. I thought he’d say no… try and stop me going… a letter is enough.”

_ It’s a great illusion one never knows, _

_ When you think you’re really alone, _

_ Feel the eyes of someone looking in on you _

Richie accepted that answer. He would do anything for Eddie. They were best friends. If that meant that he would have to drive him to a town in the middle of fucking nowhere, then that was what he’d do. It’s what he  _ was  _ doing. He’d been unable to turn down the pleading expression on Eddie’s face when he’d asked him to take him there and given him next to no context on  _ why _ . Maybe he’d been scared that if he’d explained it Richie would have made him go home and talk to Frank about going.

The turn-off they needed was easy enough to spot, though the sign that marked it had been knocked down at some point, lying discarded at the side of the road. It wouldn’t surprise him if a strong wind had taken the sign out, and it would be even less surprising that no one had wanted to come out here to the middle of nowhere to fix it. Richie made the turn onto the off-ramp which was even darker than the main road had been now that night had completely fallen. There were no reflective strips to guide them, only a thick dark forestry around them which blocked out any would-be-light from the moon and the beams of Richie’s headlights.

_ Does the scent of soil and beast,  _

_ Breathe the life into the animal you hide? _

The second Richie had crossed part of the road that was supported by an iron bridge above a strong flowing river, a loud static blared from the radio, startling them both. Eddie dropped the folder to his lap and clamped his hands over his ears to block out the noise as Richie tried desperately to turn the station over or lower the volume, settling for just turning off the radio when he couldn’t get either to work. It plunged the car into silence with only the after-ring of static buzzing in their ears.

Eddie slowly lowered his hands, nose wrinkling at the ringing in his ears. “Th-that was fucking horrible.”

Richie laughed nervously, returning his hand to his gearstick. “Yeah… I guess the radio reception up here isn’t too good. Looks like you dodged a bullet by not living here, Eds.” 

His comment had the desired effect that Richie had hoped for. Eddie laughed, and Richie grinned at over at him. He’d always loved that sound. He just loved  _ everything _ about Eddie from the naturally neat blonde curls to the green-flecked-with-grey eyes and the laughter whenever it punched from his chest like this. He’d been in love with Eddie since he was seventeen years old and Eddie had transferred to his school. Eddie had been made to sit at the desk next to his own at the back and Richie had fell hard and fast right there, even more so when Eddie had been forced to introduce himself to the class.

_ “Stand up, Eddie. Tell us about yourself.” _

_ “What the hell is this? Third grade?” Eddie asked, looking up from the notebook he’d been doodling in, just wanting to make it through his math class with as little annoyances as possible.  _

_ Richie yawned, lifting his head slowly from his arms and looking curiously to the boy occupying the desk next to his own which had been empty for two years. The blonde didn’t look impressed with the teacher asking him to introduce himself, and more like he just wanted to walk out of the class and never come back.  _

_ The teacher just looked at him expectantly though and Eddie exhaled heavily, dropping his pen to the desk and standing. “Okay,  _ **_fine_ ** _. I’ll make this easier for you. This is the seventh school I’ve been to this year. Me and my dad? We move around. A lot. So I’ve done this before, way too many times. Don’t bother trying to remember my name because I sure as hell won’t remember yours. Don’t try to talk to me. We won’t be friends. I won’t IM you, come to your house study, facebook you, tweet you, or play some stupid video game on steam or read your stupid tumblr blog. Don’t waste your smart ass comments, because I won’t react, and whatever you’re thinking of saying or doing to me… don’t waste your time because I’ve seen it before and it doesn’t look like there are many original thinkers in this room. And by the time any of you figure out something about me worth knowing, I’ll be gone.” Eddie sat back down, his attention fixed solely on the teacher. “How was that?” _

Richie had been determined to become the friend of the classes new spitfire. His first impression wasn’t something that was easy to forget, but Richie knew this school, and knew that you couldn’t survive it alone. It wouldn’t hurt for Eddie to have one friend, no matter how temporary. Everyone deserved it. So he tried. He’d tried to befriend Eddie and the first few times he’d attempted to talk to Eddie he’d been met with the same line.

_ “Do you have selective hearing? That speech I gave was for everyone. You realize that right? You’re not the exceptions to that rule.” _

_ Richie rolled his eyes, slamming the locker shut and hoisting his backpack onto his shoulder. “Everyone should have one exception to their rules Eds.” _

_ There was a loud clang as Eddie slammed his locker shut with more force than he’d intended. “That’s not my name.” _

But no matter how many times Eddie had tried to avoid talking to Richie, Richie couldn’t seem to keep away from him. There was an odd sense of familiarity that settled into him when it came to Eddie, something that Richie couldn’t shake whenever he looked at him or was near him. It was almost like he’d known him before, a long time ago, but that was stupid. He’d remember if he knew someone like  _ Eddie _ . Eddie wasn’t someone you could just forget. He found ways to leave impressions on a person, and his speech had definitely left one on his class. No one spoke to him as he’d demanded, and they didn’t even so much as look at him. 

Eddie had, of course, caved eventually. Eddie liked to kill time at the library between the hours of school and when his dad would be home from work, and it had been on a bus ride three months after he’d started his new school that he’d bumped into Richie outside of school for the first time who had the only free seat next to him. Judging by the uniform he was wearing for one of the café’s in the mall, this was the reason he’d never managed to bump into him before. Eddie had sighed and walked up the aisle of seats to the back of the bus and Richie had moved his backpack for Eddie to take to seat between himself and an elderly woman.

They hadn’t spoken at first, and as the bus slowly emptied, Richie had expected Eddie to move to a new seat but Eddie hadn’t even so much as budged an inch. He kind of liked sitting next to Richie. He felt less alone, even though his loneliness was something self imposed because he hated getting to know people just to move again and have to leave them behind. But as the back of the bus had emptied, Eddie had slowly found himself turning to face Richie who had been looking out of the window at the dark streets.

_ “Richie, right?” _

_ Richie turned away from the window. “I thought you didn’t want to remember names?” _

_ “Everyone should have at least one exception to their rules, right? You told me that.” _

_ Richie smiled. “Yeah, and if you leave, that exception is going to stalk any form of contact he can to keep it.” _

_ Eddie couldn’t help but smile back. Richie felt familiar to him; and them talking like this felt natural like they’d done it a hundred times before. _

They’d become inseparable since that one bus ride, and Eddie was glad that he hadn’t moved again. He was able to finish school and keep his first long lasting friend. Even now they were still friends at twenty-one, attending the same college, and even being roommates. Their closeness had lead to a lot of people thinking they were dating, and now that Eddie thought about it, he hadn’t seen Richie go on dates but he’d never asked why.

A flashing neon sign for a motel caught their attention and Richie veered off to the right, bringing his car to a stop in the almost empty parking lot. Aside from them, there was one other car parked in the lot in front of the reception area, and the curtains for room three were closed, but a small sliver of light from a lamp could be seen beyond them, creeping through a small gap between the two curtains and flickering, signalling the occupant of the room was watching television.

“I was starting to think this was a dead route or something,” Richie said, shutting off the engine and climbing out. “I know you want to get there as quick as you can Eds but if I don’t get some sleep we’re gonna crash.”

“I’ve literally  _ not  _ complained once when you’ve needed to stop to get some rest,” Eddie pointed out, climbing from the car and grabbing his backpack which he slung over his shoulder.

Richie grabbed his duffle bag from the back seat and the two of them headed for the reception area. The room was well lit with a bright fluorescent light, and soft music played through the radio that was perched at the end of the counter.

_ Can you hide who you are? _

_ Take a look at yourself, can you stop what will be? _

_ You think running will help? _

_ Can’t give up on the past, when the past never ends _

_ Now the dead that you raised live in me _

The man sitting behind the counter slowly looked up as they approached, setting his book to one side. Without waiting for them to speak, he grabbed a key from behind him and a map, both of which he dropped onto the counter. “You pay by the night; fifty dollars.”

Richie bit back a retort about how the place didn’t  _ look  _ worth the fifty dollars he wanted, simply fishing out his wallet and handing the money over. He was tired, and he wanted to sleep. He knew Eddie felt the same with the way he was now teetering on the spot beside him. Taking the map and key, Richie lead Eddie from the reception area - almost certain the man had muttered something about ‘stupid tourists’ - and glanced down at the key in his hand, room six. There was a boy standing outside of room three now, pacing in front of it with a phone pressed to his ear.

“Yeah, I know mom. We got lost. I don’t know  _ how _ . I think Mike took a wrong turn somewhere. It was pretty dark. We’re near some place called Silent Hill. Yeah, I know. We’re just gonna pass through the town tomorrow as a shortcut and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

Richie quickly unlocked the door to room six and nudged Eddie inside, ducking in after him and closing the door behind them. Eddie felt around the wall until he found the light switch, turning on the lights of their temporary home and momentarily blinding them. The room was small, but it had a bathroom and a bed they could use at least. There was no television is sight, just an old looking radio on the nightstand.

“That asshole gave us a double bed.” Eddie yawned, tossing his backpack on the bed. “Are you gonna be okay to share? I don’t want you sleeping on the floor.”

Richie nodded, dropping his duffle bag next to the bed before allowing himself to simply fall onto what had to be the most uncomfortable bed that he’d ever laid on. It was exactly what he expected from a cheap run down looking motel. Eddie placed the folder onto the nightstand and rifled through his backpack, grabbing a shirt and a pair of shorts.

“I’m gonna grab a shower.”

“Take your time Eds.” Richie slowly sat up with a mock salute before hunting out his cigarettes from his bag. “Don’t worry, I’ll go outside so you don’t have to inhale it.”

Eddie nodded, closing the bathroom door while Richie hunted out his lighter and climbed from the bed. Stepping back out into the warm June night, Richie lit the cigarette quickly and closed the door to their room behind him so the smoke didn’t blow back in. It was almost creepy how quiet the place was aside from the low noise that came from room three’s television.

“Hey, can I borrow your light?”

Richie glanced to the young man they’d passed earlier who had been pacing around on his phone. He now had an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth and Richie handed the lighter over to him wordlessly, staring back out at the dark parking lot. There was a light fog starting to settle in and Richie could only hope that it didn’t get worse. Fog made driving difficult. The man lit the cigarette and handed the lighter back to him with a quick ‘thanks’ and silence stretched over them

“This place is fucking creepy.” The man suddenly spoke, waving at the parking lot.

Richie snorted, shifting the cigarette in his mouth. “You got that right.”

“You guys lost too?”

“Nope. Believe it or not Silent Hill is my actual destination.”

“Right.” The boy shot him a sceptical look, his eyes wandering over to the empty road. “I heard that place is a cult town that tried to kill some kid to summon some ‘god’ because they had some weird powers. Place is nothing but a tourist attraction now from what I heard. Since you’re going there for whatever the hell dumb reason, make it quick. Don’t stay there too long.”

Richie nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind uh...”

“Stan.”

“Richie.”

Stan dropped his finished cigarette on the ground, slowly crushing it under his foot. “I should get back to my boyfriend. You two be careful.”

“You two as well.”

As Stan left Richie alone outside the rooms, closing the door to room three behind him, Richie couldn’t help but wonder if going to this place was such a good idea after all. Stan had said that it was a cult town, and that didn’t sound like a safe place to go to even if was just a tourist attraction now. Heaving a sigh, dropped his cigarette onto the ground and crushed it under his foot. If they were quick about it and didn’t stay there too long it shouldn’t be too bad. Straight to the Orphanage, then to the home of the people who had given him up if they’d hand over any details and then straight back out of the town.

Eddie was already done with his shower when Richie ducked back into the room, dressed in the clothes he’d packed to sleep in and sitting cross legged under the blanket with a towel draped over his head and the folder open in his lap. He was reading over what little information was in there intensely, his eyes moving along the page slowly as he let each bit sink in. Richie wondered how many times Eddie had done this since Frank had given him the file.

“Hey, Eddie, you know that… this whole trip might not go as well as you’re hoping it will, right?” Richie tossed the pack of cigarettes and the lighter onto the nightstand to what had now been deemed as his side of the bed. 

Eddie looked up from the folder, clumps of hair sticking to the side of his face. “I know that, Richie. I just - I  _ need  _ to do this. I need to know.”

Richie flopped onto the bed next to Eddie on his back, tucking his hands behind his head. “I get it, Eds. I’m gonna be there with you every step of the way no matter what happens up there, I promise. So how about we get some sleep? That way we can get an early start tomorrow and get you there quicker.”

Eddie nodded, closing the folder and tucking it into his backpack before dropping onto his back and falling to sleep almost instantly. He really appreciated that Richie was willing to do this, and the support that he offered, especially since he’d given him no context on what they were doing until now. How had he become so lucky to get a friend like Richie?

Richie tilted his head to the side to check on the sleeping Eddie. He really hoped for his sake that they were able to find the answers Eddie both wanted and needed while they were in Silent Hill. “I really hope you find what you’re looking for Eds.”


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning had unfortunately brought the thick dense fog Richie had hoped it wouldn’t with it. Richie yawned, tossing his bag into the back of his car; squinting to try and see  _ something  _ through the fog but all he could make out was his car, Eddie, and the general outline of the motel. The car that had been parked in front of the reception area was gone now, and Richie figured that Stan and his boyfriend had just wanted to pass through the town as quickly as possible to head home.

Richie made a quick run to the reception area to return the key, though the man from the night before was nowhere to be seen so he just tossed it onto the counter and ducked back outside into the fog where Eddie was still waiting for him by the car.

“Are you ready to go?” Richie asked, unlocking the car.

“I - yeah.” Eddie climbed into the car quickly, shoving his backpack down by his feet.

Richie climbed into the driver’s seat and glanced over to Eddie as he started the car. “It’s okay to be nervous about this. You’re about to find out some pretty life changing things.” The engine roared to life, and for a moment Richie just sat there, hands gripping at the steering wheel. “Eddie… I want you to know that if you want to turn back at any point, we can. Just say the word and I’ll get you out of there and take you home.”

Eddie didn’t speak for a moment, staring at the closed door of the motel room they’d been staying in. “Do you mean that? If I… if I can’t do it or it’s too much...”

“I mean it Eds. I’ll take you wherever you want to go. All you have to do is ask.” Richie said, shooting him a smile and handing him the map before backing out of the parking space.

The car radio was still emitting a soft static when it turned on, but Eddie had refused to let him turn it off again. Any sound was better than the suffocating silence with a tense nervousness that could be cut with a knife. They were so close to their destination now, and Richie could practically feel the nerves rolling off Eddie like ocean waves. He reached over, taking Eddie’s hand and giving it a small comforting squeeze.

“It’s gonna be fine Eds. I’m here.”

Eddie didn’t respond other than squeezing his hand in return but Richie knew that he appreciated what he’d said. He knew that Eddie was thankful for the reassurance, and that was enough for him. He kept his attention on the road, somewhat squinting to see through the fog. It was almost impossible to see through it now, but he could just about make out the town sign as they passed it, the words golden on a chipped green backing with three rusted lights hanging above it that flickered as though they were about to go out.

**Welcome to Silent Hill.**

The radio suddenly stopped being static, lyrics to a song Richie didn’t know starting to pour from the speakers.

_ Through this fog they come along, _

_ Dark creatures singing a terrible song, _

_ The rest of the bar laughed at him, _

_ Only I felt my hope grow dim, _

_ They found him dead the very next day, _

_ “No more stories from him,”  _

_ I heard them say, _

_ We blamed bad luck for his fate, _

_ Only I felt a terror so great. _

Richie suddenly released Eddie’s hand to turn off the radio with a grimace. “Talk about a fucking dark song.”

“Why was the radio suddenly working?” Eddie asked, glancing from the radio to Richie. “It stopped working since we crossed the bridge so why...”

“Maybe the space between the bridge and here is some kind of dead zone for radio signals and we had to connect to whatever shitty local stations are up here.”

“But the motel had one that worked. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

Richie hadn’t thought about that, but now he did, he realized the voice on the radio up here was the same one as back at the motel which meant that it was the same radio station. “Maybe they have a booster? Can’t leave their patrons in their shitty building without some entertainment.”

“Maybe...” Eddie couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something very wrong here.

They fell silent and Richie followed the curve of the road, spotting a hole in the crash barrier that looked as though a large vehicle had slammed right through it. He wasn’t surprised that someone at some point would have crashed through the barrier with the thick fog that was blanketing the road, but it still set an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Richie tightened his grip on the steering wheel, squinting even harder through the fog as he slowed his speed as much as he could. He wasn’t going to risk making the same mistake someone else had and go flying through one of the barriers down the mountain. He followed a sharp turn around the mountainside, jolting when Eddie suddenly shouted, trying to keep his vision on the reflective strips in the middle of the road which were fortunately catching his headlights.

“Richie look out!”

There wasn’t enough time for him to avoid the car that was lying upside down on the road, slamming into it with a loud bang and sending them spinning. He turned the wheel furiously and slammed his foot down onto the brakes to try and stop them from moving, the side of the car slamming into a nearby crash barrier and they flipped over it, rolling down the mountainside. Smashes and thuds filled his ears, and the mocking soft voice still poured from the radio as they finally rolled to a stop, darkness dancing at the edge of his vision.

_ Hey there to my future self, _

_ If you forget how to smile, _

_ I have this to tell you, _

_ Remember it once in a while, _

_ Ten years ago your past self _

_ Prayed for your happiness, _

_ Please don’t lose hope _

_ Eddie hated this. He hadn’t wanted to go to  _ **_another_ ** _ new school and make new friends, but here he was, stepping through the door to the math room which was full of students sitting at or on their desks and talking to their friends. He approached the teacher who was sitting at her desk, wordlessly handing her the note the main office had given him. The woman looked at the sheet quickly before pointing to a desk next to a dark haired boy who had his arms folded on the wood, head resting on them like he was taking a nap. Eddie hurried to the seat and hooked his bag onto the chair, sliding into it. The boy didn’t look away from the window, not even when someone greeted him with a quick ‘hi Richie’ to which the boy just responded with a tired ‘hi’. _

_ “Okay class before we start, I’d like to introduce a new student we have joining us this year; Edward Kaspbrak.” The teacher announced, standing up from her desk. “Stand up, Eddie. Tell us about yourself.” _

_ “What the hell is this? Third grade?” Eddie asked, looking up from the notebook he’d been doodling in, just wanting to make it through his math class with as little annoyances as possible.  _

_ Richie yawned, lifting his head slowly from his arms and looking curiously to the boy occupying the desk next to his own, which had been empty for two years. The blonde didn’t look impressed with the teacher asking him to introduce himself, and more like he just wanted to walk out of the class and never come back.  _

_ The teacher just looked at him expectantly though and Eddie exhaled heavily, dropping his pen to the desk and standing. “Okay,  _ **_fine_ ** _. I’ll make this easier for you. This is the seventh school I’ve been to this year. Me and my dad? We move around. A lot. So I’ve done this before, way too many times. Don’t bother trying to remember my name because I sure as hell won’t remember yours. Don’t try to talk to me. We won’t be friends. I won’t IM you, come to your house study, facebook you, tweet you, or play some stupid video game on steam or read your stupid tumblr blog. Don’t waste your smart ass comments, because I won’t react, and whatever you’re thinking of saying or doing to me… don’t waste your time because I’ve seen it before and it doesn’t look like there are many original thinkers in this room. And by the time any of you figure out something about me worth knowing, I’ll be gone.” Eddie sat back down, his attention fixed solely on the teacher. “How was that?” _

_ The teacher seemed shocked at what he’d said, but Richie let out a low exhale, almost a whistle. “Holy shit.” _

_ Eddie did everything in his power to ignore the stares from the others in the room, which slowly became less over the course of the class. He was switching over the books in his locker at lunch when someone opened the locker next to his own, tossing a book carelessly inside before grabbing another one. Eddie glanced to the side, recognizing Richie from his math class that morning. _

_ “Eddie, right?” Richie asked, not waiting for the blonde to say anything before he continued. “I was wondering, since you’re new and everything, if you want some help finding your way around for the week?” _

_ Eddie frowned at that, his grip tightening on the door of his own locker.“Do you have selective hearing? That speech I gave was for everyone. You realize that right? You’re not the exception to that rule.” _

_ Richie rolled his eyes, slamming the locker shut and hoisting his backpack onto his shoulder. “Everyone should have one exception to their rules Eds.” _

_ There was a loud clang as Eddie slammed his locker shut with more force than he’d intended. “That’s not my name.” _

_ Eddie walked off up the hallway, shoving his way through a crowd of people so fast that he was positive Richie wouldn’t be able to keep up or follow. He didn’t need a repeat of the last school. He didn’t need to get close to someone for something to happen like the man who had broken into their last house. Frank had managed to subdue and kill them, and then they were forced to move. It was something that happened a lot and Eddie didn’t know  _ **_why_ ** _. Whenever he asked his dad about it, the subject was always changed to something else. Whatever shit his dad had managed to get into, he hoped that this was far away enough from it. _

_ The scene around him changed and he pushed open a set of double doors into another hallway. Everything was metallic and rustic now, blood splattered against the walls. The locker nearest to him had a strip of paper slid into a small indent that read E. Gillispie, and under it, someone had scratched the word ‘demon’ against the metal. The shuffling of feet sounded and Eddie turned to see what looked like him standing in the middle of the hallway, charred as though he’d just been burned.  _

_ The other him didn’t speak, simply tilting his head to one side to stare at him for a moment, and that moment felt like forever until his mouth opened and he finally spoke; voice strained as though he’d inhaled a lot of smoke. “Don’t come back.” _

_ “What -” _

_ “Don’t come back!” _

_ The charred version of himself suddenly burst into flames which dropped to the ground, replaced by a woman dressed in red and white. A nurse, Eddie realized. She was smiling, almost comfortingly, reaching a hand out towards him. “She can’t take you too, sorry. Only one. But you’ll be alright, won’t you? You’re smart. You’ll know where to go.” _

_ The nurse slowly turned away from him, towards a car that had been tipped over, the heels of her shoes clicking across the metallic floor as she walked. She crouched by the car to look inside the window which had been broken, glass scattered around where she knelt. There was only a void of black beyond the window, and Eddie wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but he couldn’t shake the dread when he realized the car was Richie’s. With a soft tutting, she stood upright, yanking the door open before she reached into the void and started to pull something out. _

_ No, not something - someone - a bloodied unconscious Richie who left a streak of blood behind him as the woman slowly and carefully pulled him from the car. “Oh my, he doesn’t look too good, does he? Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him for you.” The nurse seemed to have no trouble heaving Richie up onto a gurney before her attention settled on Eddie. “You’re okay though. Look at you. There’s not a single scratch on you. I expected nothing less.” Another nurse stepped around Eddie and gripped at the gurney which she started to push it away, heading around the car towards a void.  _

_ “You need to wake up now Eddie.” _

_ Eddie ran down the hallway after the nurse who seemed to pick up speed whenever he did, after Richie who was incredibly hurt, but the moment he touched the black void, there was a bright blinding light. There was a soft humming, a woman’s, and the tune was one he recognized even before the singing started. _

_ “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday -” _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To avoid complete and utter confusion, Mike Wheeler will be referred to as Michael!

Eddie could feel his consciousness slowly creeping back into him, opening his eyes slowly to see only a mass of white and grey that blended together. It was fog and concrete, and damn near impossible to decipher where one ended and the other began. He could make out the faint outline of Richie’s car in the fog, overturned and lying in the middle of the road on its roof with the headlights flickering. Eddie shakily pushed himself to his feet, finding that aside from a dull ache that had settled into his body, he was completely fine despite having been thrown from the car. It made no sense. He should have at the very least had some broken bones but there were none. His attention snapped back to the car, panic seizing his chest. 

_ Richie _ . 

He stumbled through the fog towards the driver’s side of the car. The radio was still playing the soft voice through the speakers which crackled slightly with static, and there was no sign of Richie anywhere, but he knew one thing. Richie hadn’t been thrown from the car like he had. His seatbelt was unbuckled and his door thrown open and there was blood on the side of the road. Either Richie had managed to get out of the car or someone had come across them but they hadn’t seen Eddie on the ground in the thick fog around them.

Eddie crouched next to the car and crawled in, careful not to cut his hands on any glass as he reached for the glove box to open it. A flashlight, a flip knife, and Richie’s cell phone fell out onto the roof, and Eddie reached for the phone first, only to find there was no signal. He tossed the phone aside and grabbed the flashlight, checking it worked before grabbing his backpack and shoving it inside with the knife. His file and the map were in the back, scattered all over the roof and Eddie gathered them up quickly, shoving the file into his backpack with everything else and keeping the map in hand as he crawled back out of the car and stood upright.

He unfolded the map, following the route they should have taken if not for the crash, finally finding the parking lot he was on. They’d landed in Convenience Store 8’s parking lot and the closest hospital was… Alchemilla, which he had to cross the lake to get to. He needed to go there. He needed to find Richie. That was his priority right now. Richie was hurt because of him and he needed to make sure he was okay. Anything else could wait.

Eddie folded the map over in his hand, keeping the directions he needed face up as he began to make his way through the fog. All he had to do was cross the bridge, make a right, and go straight ahead until he reached the hospital. The dull aching that had been in his body faded with each step until he didn’t have to stop every minute or so to catch his breath, and it quickly became apparent that the town was quiet… too quiet. It was like the ghost towns you saw in a documentary, and there were flakes in the fog that he couldn’t identify, slowly raising his hand to catch one on his finger, rubbing his thumb against it.

Ash.

Why was there ash falling from the sky? What was wrong with this place? Eddie took another step forward, stopping suddenly as he caught sight of something  _ else  _ in the fog, squinting to get a better look at it. It was a person moving through the fog away from him, wild wild dark hair. 

“Richie?” Eddie called, taking a step forward. The figure didn’t respond, continuing to walk away. If Richie was disoriented from the crash, his behaviour right now would make sense. He probably thought he was imagining Eddie’s voice. Eddie broke into a jog across the bridge, reaching out when he was close enough and grabbing Richie’s hand. “Richie!”

Richie turned and Eddie dropped the hand like it had burned him. It wasn’t Richie. It was just some stranger that  _ looked  _ like Richie. It was creepy how alike they looked. The only differences he could pick out between the two was their taste in clothes and the lack of glasses perched on his face. The man instantly had Eddie on edge. He even had cuts on his face, neck, and arms with blood smeared on his skin like he too had been in an accident. Was it possible he was the owner of the empty car they’d crashed into?

“You’re not him...”

The man smiled, almost too pleasantly, and there was a teasing edge to his voice as he spoke. “Do I look like your boyfriend or something?”

Even his  _ voice _ sounded like Richie’s, and Eddie hated that. No one but Richie had the right to sound like that. “No… my friend. You could be his twin. Your face… your voice…”

“I’m Michael. I’m sorry that I confused you.”

“Eddie. Um… I don’t suppose you’ve seen a guy that looks just like you around here, have you? We got in a crash and I… I woke up alone and I couldn’t find him.”

“You too? This fog is really dangerous. Sorry though. I haven’t seen a clone of myself around here.”

“Well… thanks anyway. I’ll try the hospital.”

Eddie stepped around him and Michael turned sharply, grabbing his wrist with an almost panicked look on his face. “You need to leave this place, Eddie, and  _ now _ . This uh…this town… there’s something…  _ wrong  _ with it and it’s not just the fog either...”

Eddie pried his hand free from Michael’s grip. “I got it. I’ll be careful.”

“I’m not lying!”

Eddie glanced back at him over his shoulder. “I believe you it’s just… I guess I don’t care if it’s dangerous or not. Richie’s here somewhere and he’s hurt because of me. I need to find him and make sure he’s okay.”

“He must be important to you.”

“He is.”

“That must be nice for him.” Michael smiled, and Eddie noticed this was another one of the very few differences between this man and Richie. It didn’t look genuine like whenever Richie smiled at him. It looked fake and almost forced. “Then... I hope you find him. I wouldn’t hold my breath though. This place is messed up.”

“Shouldn’t you be going to the hospital too? You were in an accident as well, weren't you?”

“I’m fine Eddie. Worry about yourself. I told you. There’s something wrong with this town. I’m gonna find a car and get out of here.”

Michael turned, and Eddie watched him retreat into the fog before he continued towards his destination. 

_ Hold on Richie _ .

Richie slowly regained consciousness, vision blurry without his glasses, but he didn’t need them to see that he was in a hospital room. There was a soft humming echoing around him, and Richie tilted his head to see a woman in a white dress and a red cardigan discarding some bloodied towels and gauze into a bucket. Her hair was like a long red river that poured down her back, topped with a small white hat that reminded him of a paper boat. She was swaying her hips to the tune she was humming, completely at ease as she worked.

“Here’s a lullaby to close your eyes,” the woman had started to sing now, tossing more bandages into the bucket as she did, “It was always you that despised. I don’t feel enough for you to cry. Here’s a lullaby to close your eyes,” she removed the bloodied gloves from her hands, tossing them into the bucket and reaching for the box of fresh ones and pulling on a new pair, “So insignificant, sleeping dormant deep inside of me, are you hiding away lost under the sewers, maybe flying high, in the clouds,” she finally turned, a bright smile spreading onto her face, “Sorry, I wasn’t aware that I had an audience. I would have sang better for you.”

“Where-”

“You’re at the Alchemilla hospital. My name is Doctor Marsh but you can call me Beverly or Bev.”

“How did I get here?”

“I found your car overturned in a parking lot so I rushed you here for medical help. This fog… it causes so many accidents. People veering off the roads and crashing through barriers… you’re lucky. You were barely breathing, but now you’re all patched up good as new.”

“What about my friend? Is he okay?”

Confusion came to Beverly’s face. “Your friend? What friend? There was only you.”

“No, there was someone else with me.” Richie sat up quickly, hissing in pain when it pulled on the I.V tube in the back of his hand. “Fuck - I gotta - you  _ left  _ him out there!”

“There was no one else out there.” Beverly said, her tone almost final in a way. “There was only you in the car.”

“He must have been thrown out the car. I gotta find him.”

“You shouldn’t get up right now.” Beverly reached over, pressing a hand to his chest to lie him back down. “You were in a serious accident. I can’t let you get up and go stumbling around in the fog. It’s not safe. All those things out there...”

“Things? What things?”

“Well… you’re going to think I’m crazy but there’s something wrong with this town. There are… creatures roaming around. I don’t know how or why… I woke up yesterday and it was like this. But this hospital… it seems to be safe so you just rest and focus on getting better.” Beverly reached over, petting comfortingly at his arm. “I’m sure your friend will come here looking for you… or maybe he’ll go to the police station and they’ll bring him here. I’ll come by to check on you later.”

The moment Beverly closed the door behind her, Richie yanked the I.V. from his hand and felt around for the nightstand to get his glasses, shoving them onto his face. He couldn’t stay here. He needed to find Eddie. If Eddie was thrown from the car he would be hurt, and if there were weird creatures roaming around like Beverly said…

Richie wasted no time in stumbling from the room for the nearest elevator.

Eddie hadn’t expected his route to suddenly be blocked off. He’d been following Crichton Street just like the map said since it was a straight route to Koontz Street where the hospital was, when he suddenly found there was no road. He’d been lucky the fog had become a little clearer since he’d woken up, or he was sure he would have just run off the end of the road. It looked as though something had crashed into the road and broken it away, and he could just about make out the form of the Police Station building on the other side of the gorge, partially tilting off where the road had caved in. It was too far to jump and there was no other way to get across. He would have to backtrack.

He looked down at the map, following the route with his finger backwards in the direction he’d come from. If he took Finney Street and turned out into Simmons street it would bring him out on Koontz street. It was a longer route than he wanted to take, but what other options did he have?

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Eddie jumped, almost losing his foot at the edge of the road, turning to face a man who was standing a few feet away. Eddie could tell without checking for a badge that he was a police officer, and when he did check the badge, he caught the name  _ Denbrough  _ printed onto it. “Sorry, officer, I didn’t know this road was -”

“It’s Bill. I don’t think I’ve seen you around town. You an outsider?”

“I - a car I was in crashed. I’m looking for my friend. I woke up and he was gone.”

“Tall kid with glasses?”

“Yeah, do you know where he is?”

“He’s at Alchemilla hospital. You can’t get to it this way though. Not since the mine caved in yesterday. A lot of the roads are blocked off now. Come on, I’ll give you a ride to the hospital.” Bill turned, leading Eddie through the fog to the set of flashing red and blue lights he could see in the fog. “You look pretty good for someone who was in a crash recently. We’ll get you checked there too just in case. You’ll be in good hands. Beverly’s a great doctor. She’s the one who found your friend.”

There was a sudden buzzing in Eddie’s head and his hand shot up to his temple as a searing pain spread through the area.

_ “He appears to be healing quickly. Too quickly. Is this what Sonia was raving about? I thought it was just the delusions of a mad woman.” The nurse sitting next to his bed reached out, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. “Still… I can’t believe that even she would do this to her own son.” _

_ “He’s not her son. He’s -” _

_ “I know, I know. But she was the one who raised him. She’s  _ **_kind_ ** _ of his mother. Not that she has a right to call herself that after this...” The nurse slowly released his hand and stood, crossing the room to where a doctor was checking over some machines. “What are we supposed to do now? It’s only a matter of time before she realizes that he’s still alive and that we’ve moved him down here.” _

_ “Can he be moved?” _

_ “I - again? Where would you even move him to? This hospital is only so big.” _

_ “Out of this town. I need to do it soon. At night.  _ **_Before_ ** _ she realizes he’s alive.” _

_ “I - I guess… if you keep the I.V. in… you can move him. Where will you go?” _

_ “As far away from here as I can. It’s what she wants - what she asked me to do.” _

_ “You’ve  _ **_seen_ ** _ her?” _

_ “Many times.” _

“Hey, hey!” Eddie snapped back into reality to find that he’d zoned out, staring deep into the thick fog and that Bill was now shaking him, concern clear on his face. “I knew it... you’re hurt. It’s okay though, we’ll get you some help.”

Bill was careful as he steered Eddie into the front of his police cruiser, closing the door once Eddie was settled with a quiet slam. The buzzing didn’t fade, only seeming to intensify to the point he needed to press the heel of his palm roughly into the area and closing his eyes as he tried to will the buzzing away. Bill glanced to him as he started the car, the concern gripping at him like a vice. Monsters appearing in the town the day before this man and his friend showed up couldn’t possibly be a coincidence, could it?

He shook the thought from his head, squinting through the fog as he made for the hospital. It wasn’t long before they were approaching the high walls around the building, and the large white sign with the red cross on it next to the words  _ Alchemilla Hospital. _ Bill slowed to a stop outside the hospital gates, shutting the car off and turning to face Eddie again, reaching over to shake his shoulder gently.

“Come on. We’re here.”

Eddie slowly opened his eyes and the static buzz faded until it was completely gone, silence settling over his mind again. Bill climbed out of the car and circled around as Eddie sluggishly climbed out, carefully wrapping his hand around his arm to help steer Eddie across the courtyard of the hospital and up the steps towards the set of double doors. As they neared the doors, Eddie could have sworn the building shifted into something rustic and metallic for a few seconds, flickering back to normal as Bill reached out and pressed his hand against one of the doors, pushing it open to reveal the crisp clean lobby inside.

“Let’s get you checked out and then you can see your friend.”


	4. Chapter 4

Richie had no idea how he’d managed to sneak out of the hospital without bumping into Beverly, but he’d managed. And now he was out here in the fog with no map and no idea where to go, standing outside the Silent Hill Police Station where the road was broken away, some of it still crumbling into the void below. He’d seen this already when he’d left the hospital, the road to the right having been broken away and preventing him from going anywhere. Well he wasn’t going this way either, that was for sure.

Heaving a sigh, Richie pressed a hand to his side where there was a sharp stabbing pain; he turned and followed the street down until he met with the same problem. How many damn roads had broken away?  _ Why  _ had they broken away? What the hell was wrong with this place? Richie backtracked yet again until he found a side street named Midway Avenue, turning down it. The best idea was to go straight until he couldn’t anymore, especially since he didn’t have a map. Maybe there was a town hall somewhere around here where he could get one. He turned into Borden Street when he couldn’t go any further forward, trying desperately to squint through the fog for any signs of Eddie. The outline of a person moved in the fog towards him and Richie came to a sudden stop, breath hitching in his throat. They were stumbling awkwardly, but he couldn’t make if it was Eddie or someone else.

“Eddie? Is that you?” Richie called, taking a step forward.

They didn’t respond, stumbling a little faster towards him. No. Not stumbling. They were… shuffling? He could hear their feet scraping across the ground, and as they broke the barrier of where his visibility ended, Richie could see that it was very much  _ not  _ Eddie. He didn’t know  _ what  _ it was. It wasn’t human, that much was clear. It looked like someone had been fused inside of a bodybag until they resembled something wearing a straight jacket, only their legs free to move. Something dripped from their chest to the ground, making a sizzling noise as it hit the concrete. Richie took a step back, keeping his eyes fixed on the creature as it stumbled to a stop.

It straightened out and tilted its body back, spraying the sizzling liquid towards him. The liquid hit his jacket and Richie was instantly aware of the smoke that came from the material, ragging the jacket off and tossing it at the creature to blind it, turning sharply to his right into Cielo street and breaking into a run. He didn’t stop until he reached a sign for the town hall, panting heavily to try and catch his breath back. The creature hadn’t followed him it seemed, and Richie heaved a sigh of relief, stumbling up the steps and into the building. 

What the fuck  _ was  _ that? 

He tried not to think about the creature as he looked around the dimly lit lobby for the town hall. Map. He needed a map so he could find his way around. He needed to mark off the blocked streets so he didn’t get lost. Approaching a nearby stand, Richie stared at the building map behind the plastic sheet for the records room. He traced the route to the basement room with a finger, muttering to himself as he did.

_ Left, down, right, right, left. _

“You should try to relax.” Beverly said, raising her small flashlight up with a finger. “Bill will bring Richie down for you. Let’s just focus on getting you looked at. Follow my finger.” Eddie followed her finger and Beverly smiled, switching the light to her other hand. “And again. Tell me what you can remember.”

Eddie followed her finger slowly, keeping his attention fixed on it. “I - we - there was a car overturned on the mountainside road. We crashed into it and flipped over the crash barrier and rolled down the mountain… and then I woke up alone in the parking lot where we landed. I figured Richie would be here so I came here to find him.”

“Very good, and before that? Before you were on the mountain road? Where were you?”

“Leaving the motel on the other side.”

“Not many outsiders come up here except to visit our amusement park.” Beverly said, slowly lowering her hands. “Why were you coming into town?”

“Is this important?”

“Not for me, but it is for you. I need to make sure you remember.”

Eddie heaved a sigh, looking over to where his backpack lay on the nearby table. “My dad said that he’d adopted me from Toluca Orphanage here. I wanted to know more so I asked Richie to bring me here.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but you’ve wasted your time coming here.” Beverly said, slowly rising to her feet. “There is no Toluca Orphanage anymore. There hasn’t been for about eight years but… the records might still be there somewhere.” She reached for Eddie’s map, taking out a pen and beckoning him over before she drew a circle around a building marked Cedar Grove Sanitarium. “This building here used to be Toluca Orphanage. They might still have the old files from when it was the Orphanage but if they don’t, I’m sure that there’s someone who can tell you where they moved them to.”

“Bev, we have a problem!” Bill’s voice called, moments before he came striding into the room. “That guy’s not in his room. I thought maybe he went to the bathroom so I went to check in there. He’s not  _ there _ either.”

“He must have gone looking for Eddie. He was pretty frantic and worried about him when he woke up. I shouldn’t have left him alone.”

“I’m gonna go and find him. He was badly hurt, so I don’t think he could have gotten too far. Where did you crash?”

Eddie looked down at the map, looking for the parking lot he’d woken up in. “Convenience Store 8 parking lot.”

“You should come with. Guy with a head injury? Might not take too well to me. I’m an unfamiliar face.”

Richie was getting sick of all the broken roads. The newest one had taken him to a dead end in a side street where a dead police officer lay in a pool of blood, and the radio next to them was emitting a loud static that made him cringe, but still Richie found himself approaching it. Right as they entered the town limits his car radio had gone crazy like this before playing a song he’d never heard. Did that mean something? He’d assumed the reception was just shit, but maybe Eddie had been onto something when he said it was weird. 

He crouched in front of the puddle of blood where the radio was as a voice broke through the static and startled him. “ _ I’m back, the hate I hate believing, I never saw it coming. _ ” It was hard to make it out through the static, but it definitely sounded like a song, and like the same woman from the songs on the radio when they’d reached the bridge. It was the same as the one in the motel, and the same haunting voice he’d heard while crashing. “ _ I never saw it coming… _ ”

Richie slowly reached out for the radio, his fingers dipping into the blood as he curled his hand around it to pick it up. “The hell is wrong with this thing?”

“ _ You have your orders soldier... _ ”

The song came to a stop and the static returned louder than ever, causing him to almost drop the radio before the noise faded into a soft crackle. If Eddie  _ had  _ been onto something, whatever that something was, it couldn’t hurt to keep the radio on him. The crackle was better than listening to the suffocating silence that blanketed the fog filled streets around him, and maybe he’d pick something up that could tell him where Eddie was. It  _ was _ a police radio, and that meant that the police had to use it at  _ some  _ point.

When Michael had told him that there was something wrong with this place, Eddie hadn’t expected to see what it was so soon. The moment he and Bill had stepped out of the hospital doors, Eddie had spotted a creature shuffling through the fog towards them, dropping acid onto the ground which sizzled against the concrete. And it had Richie’s jacket. It was slung over the creatures head, barely hanging on now, and it was his best lead to where Richie was. He’d been here. He’d come across this thing. Bill hadn’t hesitated in killing the creature, and the moment it toppled back on the ground unmoving, Eddie approached it and reached out for the jacket and pulled it from the creature, holding it tightly in his hand.

“Your friend’s?” Bill asked.

“Yeah.”

“At least we know which way he went.” Bill said, heading for the police cruiser. With all the routes except the one behind they’d used and the one towards the sanitarium being blocked there was only one way Richie  _ could _ have gone. Tugging on the jacket, Eddie grabbed his backpack and headed for the cruiser. 

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified right now. Blocked off roads? Monsters? And he still didn’t know if Richie was okay or not. That was what scared him the most every second he spent in the cruiser with no sign of Richie.  _ Where are you _ ? Eddie was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud screech as Bill slammed his foot down onto his brakes, the car swerving to the side and skidding to halt. Eddie peered out of the window through the fog to see whatever Bill had, but there was nothing but fog and ash.

“What’s wrong?”

Bill’s grip slowly loosened from the steering wheel. “Damn fog plays tricks on you. And with those things out there… you have to be careful. I thought - I was so sure there was something there. Guess I was -”

Bill was cut off by a sudden loud clang on the roof, seconds before a bladed arm smashed through the metal with a sickening screech, the curved section hooking around his neck and pushing his head back against the headrest while he screamed and struggled to pull the blade away. Eddie bolted into action, grabbing where the blade met flesh and trying to help Bill pull it away. Growling and snarling sounded from the room and there was another sickening screech as another blade pierced roof, forcing Eddie back from Bill before it could take his arm off. Eddie scrambled back and reached out behind him to find the handle of the door, figuring it would be better to hit the assailant from  _ outside  _ the car. The door suddenly opened and Eddie toppled out onto the road on his rear, eyes landing on the white leathery looking creature perched on the roof of the cruiser.

He froze in place as the fear started to grip at him, settling in and spreading through his body. Bill’s screams rang clear in his head from the car, but Eddie couldn’t bring himself to look away from the creature to see what was going on. There was a squeal and a splatter, followed instantly by silence as the creature turned its attention to Eddie. It ragged its blade arm back from the roof, revealing Bill’s head which was now skewered on the end, blood dripping from his neck where it had been sliced from the rest of his body. 

Eddie stared into the black empty sockets of the creature’s eyes, though it didn’t move further than flinging the head from its blade which clanged against the hood of the car and hit the road with a thud. The fear that gripped at him increased, turning into pure terror as the creature let out a shriek. There was an intense burning in his hands and feet, and when Eddie looked down, he saw that the area around them had turned into metallic grates, spreading further out as the road began to peel away like paint chipping from a wall. The creature shrieked again and lunged, Eddie scrambling to his feet and breaking into a run.

Richie was sure he’d been here before, twice in fact. Why did everything look the damn same in this town? He groaned, tilting his head back to look at the road sign.  _ Borden Street.  _ He looked back down at the map, fighting the urge to ball it up and throw it in the nearest storm drain. Every road in the immediate area was blocked off. He’d marked it off as he went. But it made no sense. He’d managed to go in a damn circle. He was standing back at the place where he’d seen that creature, but the creature was gone. How the fuck was he supposed to find Eddie if the only clear route he had was back to the hospital? How had someone managed to get him to hospital in the first place if there were no damn roads? 

Maybe Beverly would know something about what was happening. She’d been the one to tell him there was something wrong with this place. He tucked the map back into his back pocket and took off towards the hospital. He’d made it halfway back up Midway Avenue when the radio on his belt began to blare a loud static that brought him to a sudden halt, the same haunting voice from his car radio breaking through the static.

“ _ One more soul to the call, for all, in silence... _ ”

The ground was starting to peel away at his feet, filling him with a panic he’d never experienced, setting off his fight or flight instincts. What the hell was going on? Not wanting to stick around to find out, Richie broke into a run, daring not to look back at the peeling world, darkness dancing at the edge of his vision as the song continued, echoing around him as though the world were made of metal.

_ Comes two more souls to the call, for all, and in time… _

_ Three more souls to the call, they fall, _

_ Unknowing, _

_ That four more souls to the call, won’t be all,  _

_ And you know it… _

The world around Eddie was dark and metal now, a stained rusted metal that looked almost like blood. His feet clanged against the ground as he ran, desperate to get away from the leathery creature that was chasing him through the darkness. There were no buildings in the area anymore, just a void of pure black with a red metal floor. It was like he’d been ripped out of the world and dropped into the middle of nowhere. He could hear the clang of the creature’s feet as it chased after him and Eddie took a sharp right to throw it off. Where the hell was he supposed to go? It was just darkness and metal. There was no building that he could run into to hide. There was no one around to help. Was Richie in this weird darkness too? Was there a chance he could find him better here with nothing in his way?

The sound of metal screeching against metal sounded in the dark and Eddie slowed to a jog and then came to a stop, panting heavily to regain his breath. What the hell was that noise? Where was it coming from? A low thudding joined the screech, and out of the darkness stumbled the most horrifying thing Eddie had seen. It didn’t look like the creature that Richie had clearly come into contact with, and it didn’t look like the leathery thing with the blade arms. This was clearly a man with a muscular body stumbling through the dark towards him; stumbling because it was struggling to drag a long blade behind it which screeched and groaned against the metal floor. His human appearance ended at its body though, his head covered with a heavy metallic helmet shaped like a pyramid that jutted out into a sharp point in front of his face. There were metal grates either side of the helmet, though Eddie doubted it helped him see all that much.

He took a step back as the creature approached, and then another. A shriek behind him startled him and Eddie turned sharply to see that the leathery creature had caught up with him but had stopped moving. Her attention was focused on the male creature now, body crouched almost defensively as though she were about to pounce. Eddie’s attention moved back to the male creature. It was still approaching, almost determined, and Eddie took another step back. A wet patch of blood on the ground caught him off guard, knocking his feet from under him. He landed against the metal ground on his rear with a groan. He didn’t have the energy to get up and run anymore. He could feel the ache in his legs from the running he  _ had  _ been doing. 

He was going to die here.

The creature with the metal helmet came to a stop next to him, left hand tightening its grip around the handle of his blade. Just when Eddie was sure that he was going to raise the blade into the air and kill him, the creature’s body twisted towards him, staring down at him before his free hand reached out and wrapped around Eddie’s arm. The hand was bloody, the thick substance seeping into the sleeve of Richie’s jacket as the creature yanked him to his feet again. It shoved Eddie roughly to the right, the direction he’d been running before he’d try to throw off the creature, and Eddie understood. It was telling him to go. To keep going  _ that  _ way. Eddie was more than happy to follow that instruction, and as he ran off into the darkness, he heard an intense woosh and what sounded like the dying shriek of the leathery creature.

He didn’t dare look back to confirm if it was dead though. He  _ couldn’t  _ go back that way. He needed to keep pushing forward. A faint flickering light broke through the darkness ahead and Eddie kept his eyes trained on it as he ran, using it as an anchor, and as he neared it, he could see that it was a strip light hanging over a worn metal sign.

_ Toluca Orphanage _ .


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is by far my longest chapter and probably makes little to no sense woops!

Eddie was confused. Hadn’t Beverly told him the orphanage was gone now? Why was it here? Why was it the only building that he’d seen in this void? He approached it nonetheless, stumbling up the metallic steps that lead into the building along with the door which was heavy, screeching against the ground as he pushed it open and stepped into the rustic lobby. There was no one in sight, a thick layer of dust and blood covering the front desk as he approached. There was nothing there except for a single black phone.

The moment he was right in front of the desk the phone started to ring loudly, startling Eddie as it echoed around the lobby. He slowly reached for the receiver, lifting it to cut off the annoying ringing before bringing it to his ear. “Hello?”

“ _ Happy birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. _ ” A woman’s voice sang down the phone, sending a shiver creeping down his spine. That voice sounded so familiar but he couldn’t place it. “ _ Happy Birthday dear - _ Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, thank you!” The woman said, voice cheerful down the phone. “ _ Happy Birthday dear Hooareyou, happy birthday to you!  _ Happy twenty-first Birthday!”

“Who is this?”

“I’m not  _ her _ , if that’s what you’re worried about, but let’s  _ not _ worry. It’s time to celebrate your Birthday!”

“You have me mistaken for someone else. Today’s not my -”

“Oh, I’m not mistaken  _ Edward _ . Today is your twenty-first Birthday! Don’t tell me that man changed it when he took you away.”

“How… how do you know my name?”

“That’s because I know you, silly! I was a friend of your real mother’s!” The woman’s voice suddenly changed, almost soft and sorrowful. “It’s so cold in this place Eddie… and so dark…have you seen my son? Is he safe?”

“Your son?”

“Yes. But not the fake one. I mean the  _ real _ one. Is he okay? I can hear his pain. What happened to him Eddie?”

“I don’t know who your son is.”

“Don’t lie to me!” The woman snapped, her voice shifting back into the happy cheerful tone when she spoke again. “You’re wasting your time there. The Orphanage holds no answers for you. Listen to me. Number Eight, Levin Street. The one with dog house out front. You need to go there. I don’t have long left. She’s coming for me. I have a present for you. Which do you prefer? To  _ give  _ pain or  _ receive  _ it? You can have the one you hate most all over again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“ _ Happy Birthday to you! The desk holds secrets! Happy birthday dear Eddie - _ ” 

Eddie groaned, slamming the phone down in frustration with a loud thud. The woman on the other side made little to no sense, except for two things. Number Eight Levin Street and the desk. He rounded the desk and crouched behind it, spotting a handgun lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Eddie grabbed the weapon, weighing it in his hand as he gave it a once over. With all the monsters out there, he  _ definitely  _ needed this. He stood upright, almost dropping the gun when he spotted someone standing on the other side of the desk.

“Michael? What are you doing here?”

Michael looked around the lobby, almost in wonder and confusion. “I saw you come in here so I came after you. Do you know what’s going on? I was heading for the hospital and then everything just… changed.”

Eddie thought back to the call, and to how Michael sounded and looked just like Richie. But Richie didn’t have a brother.  _ Have you seen my son? Not the fake one.  _ “Hey, you uh… you were born here right?”

“Yeah. I’ve lived in this town all my life. Why?”

“I just… I guess I’m trying to figure out how you could look so much like him.”

Michael shrugged. “Everyone has someone that looks like them in the world. If you ask me, it's just a coincidence.”

Eddie wasn’t so sure. They were  _ too _ alike, like they were twins. “Yeah… maybe I’m just looking too much into it.” Eddie said, tucking the gun into the pocket of his jacket. “Hey, do you know where Levin Street is?”

Michael seemed surprised by the sudden change of topic at first, but he recovered quickly with a smile. “Yeah, but I don’t think we can find it while the world is like this. Better to wait for everything to go back to normal. You know… if it does.”

“No. I can’t just wait around here. I need to go.”

“Eddie you shouldn’t go out there. Not with all those monsters around. I saw that thing. The one with the huge blade. It’s  _ dangerous  _ out there.”

“That creature helped me. I don’t think it’s bad… whatever it is.” Eddie stepped around the desk and passed Michael, heading for the door. “You can stay here if you want but I’m going. I  _ need  _ to go. I still need to find Richie.”

“What’s so important about him?”

“He’s...”

_ “I don’t know much about my family either.” Richie admitted, idly sipping at his slurpee. “Dad always tells me we moved because it wasn’t a good town. It’s a place where mom sat in a padded cell talking about dreams and reality. She spoke of monsters and what they symbolised. Home is a place where mom drove herself insane until she died. Dad doesn’t like to talk about her. He doesn’t even mention the town.” _

_ Eddie walked alongside him, sinking his teeth into his lip. He hadn’t expected to actually make a friend in this place when they moved here, and he  _ **_certainly_ ** _ hadn’t expected to make a friend who in some way, understood him. “Richie I -” _

_ “Dont, Eds. Don’t say you’re sorry. This is just my reality. I remember one thing from when I was a kid though. I remember a fire. Maybe the sanitarium burned down. Maybe she did that. And if she did… she’s free now.” _

_ Eddie switched his slurpee over to his other hand, reaching between them for Richie’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “Mine’s gone too.” _

_ There was no mistaking the squeeze of Richie’s hand. _

“He’s the best friend I ever had. He understands me in a way I never thought anyone could.”

A strange look passed across Michael’s face, something Eddie couldn’t place. “Then... I should help you find him. You shouldn’t wander out there alone.”

Eddie pushed open the door and stepped outside, Michael right behind him. “What the -”

The black and metal endless void that stretched out in every direction was gone now, replaced with a long metal hallway that stretched out in front of them; illuminated by swinging lights above them that flickered and cast an eerie orange glow. Eddie descended the steps, feet clanging against the metal floor. He came to a stop at the foot of them, examining the nearby metal wall which had a large bloody arrow painted onto it before he looked back at Michael who seemed just as confused as he was.

“It wasn’t like this when I followed you.” Michael said, descending the steps. “It was an endless void… everywhere. But this? This looks like part of a building.”

“It’s the only way we can go.” 

Eddie began to walk, and judging by the clang of feet on metal behind him, Michael was following him. The two of them were silent as they walked down the hallway, following the smooth curve off to the left. The hallway was shorter here with a single transparent sliding door at the end that was covered in blood and had a panel next to it. An elevator. It dinged as they approached, the door sliding open to reveal the blood splattered inside.

“This is like something out of a nightmare.” Michael said as they stepped into the small space, the door sliding shut behind them.

There was a single button on the inside with a bloodied fingerprint on it. It was an arrow pointing up, and Eddie pressed the button in. “Not even a kid could come up with this.”

The elevator groaned as it started to move, the glass walls scraping against the metal. Eddie had no idea where this thing would take him, but it was the only choice they had. There was a soft ding as the elevator came to a stop, though the door didn’t open. Through the bloodied glass, Eddie could see another dark walkway with rails, and on it, the thing he’d encountered with the pyramid helmet. The door opened, but neither of them moved. The creature didn’t move either. It simply watched them, its head tilted more into Michael’s direction than Eddie’s.

And then it moved, dropping it’s heavy weapon and power walking to the elevator. Eddie dove for the panel, pressing the arrow rapidly. There was something about the way it was moving that he didn’t trust. It was different to when it had helped him earlier. The door slid a third of the way shut before a large hand grabbed it and flung it open again, reaching in with the other and shoving Eddie back into the far wall away from Michael. Eddie hit the wall and slid to his rear, unable to move as the creature grabbed Michael around the throat and yanked him out of the elevator, throwing him up the hallway. Eddie scrambled to his feet, and ran for the door, slamming against the glass as it slid shut. 

There was no button to open the door and he was forced to watch as the creature grabbed a screaming Michael and grabbed at the front of his shirt, fingers sinking into the material and twisting it before flinging his arm back and tearing the skin off Michael’s body. It turned to face Eddie again as the elevator shook and started to move, throwing the flayed skin at the glass doors and splattering blood against the glass. The elevator was descending now, taking him back the direction he’d come, darkness dancing at the edge of Eddie’s vision as the static hum returned.

“Hey, wake up.”

When Eddie regained his consciousness, he was met with an ordinary blood free elevator. It was brightly lit, and the door was open, revealing the area beyond it and the dark skinned man who had a hand pressed firmly to his shoulder, his body blocking the door from closing. Eddie groaned, slowly sitting upright, and the man kept a firm grip on his shoulder.

“Where -”

“The school. Are you okay? You were screaming.”

“I - I think so. Did you see it too? That other place? I need to know I’m not -”

“Crazy? I saw it.” The man slowly released his shoulder, holding out a hand and helping Eddie to his feet. “This was the first building I saw so I ran into it. I’m Mike.”

“Eddie.” Eddie stumbled out of the elevator, reaching for his bag to take out his map, unfolding it slowly and locating the school. “This doesn’t make sense. I was the other side of town. How did I...”

“With a void that big? It’s hard to tell how far you’ve gone. It’s like everything completely changed. Who knows where you’ll end up next time.”

“Next time… shit. I need to go. I need to find Richie before this happens again.”

“Hey, hey. You can’t just go out there alone. Let me help you. I’m looking for someone too.”

“The last person who wanted to help me died.”

“Then I’ll make sure I don’t die.”

“If you’re gonna come with me, I should give you a weapon.” Eddie reached into his pocket for Richie’s knife, finding only the gun and extracting it from the pocket. “Shit. I must have dropped the knife. This is all I have.”

“I’m not big on guns. I’ll just shove and run.”

Waking up covered in blood was the most horrifying experience Richie had ever had. He was tired and achy, sitting in an alleyway with blood all around him and a dead body lying on its side across from him with a large bladed weapon digging into them. It was easily the length of a sword, but it was shaped more like a knife. Had he done that to that person? No. There was no way he could have lifted that weapon. That thing looked  _ extremely  _ heavy. But he needed to be sure. He stumbled to his feet and reached for the handle, wrapping his hand around it and tugging. The weapon didn’t so much as move an inch and Richie exhaled in relief. He couldn’t have done this, but he also couldn’t remember what  _ had  _ done it. Had he blacked out when everything had started to peel away around him? Why couldn’t he remember anything?

He looked around the alleway, spotting something near the end and approaching it. It was his knife which he  _ knew  _ had been left in the glovebox of his car. That meant Eddie had taken it when he’d woken up alone. Eddie had been here. Eddie was okay. This was his first solid clue since he’d left the hospital. He pocketed the knife and looked up and down the fog covered street with a squint. Which way had he gone? Squinting to the left he could see the road had broken away, leaving him with only one option; right.

Richie stumbled his way up the street, massaging his shoulder where the aching was most prominent. He slowly came to a stop at the end and looked up at the road sign standing tall in the fog, a dark green that was chipped with silver letters.

_ Midwich Street. _

He pulled the map from its place in his pocket, looking down at it to find the street, his eyes landing on the street. This didn’t make sense. Midwich Street was the other side of the river from where he’d been. He hadn’t crossed any bridges. How the fuck had he gotten  _ here _ ? Spotting the school on the map, Richie figured it would be the best place to go to try and find some help, jogging across the street towards the building. He could have sworn there were two figures in the fog walking away from him, but after his encounter with the acid thing he wasn’t willing to take that risk, heading up the pathway to the school entrance.

The school was empty and quiet as he entered it, creepily so, and Richie made his way to the main office. It was just as empty as the rest of the school and dusty, a single video tape on the counter. It had clearly been placed there recently if the lack of dust was anything to go by, and someone had placed a sticky note on it; the words big and scrawled in capital letters.

**FOR RICHIE.**

**AV ROOM.**

**THIRD FLOOR.**

Number Eight Levin street was void of life as Eddie stepped through the door. Mike had opted to wait outside, figuring that this was a little too personal for him to be involved in, offering to keep watch for signs of Richie outside instead. The house itself looked like no one had lived in it for years, a thick layer of dust covering the banister of the nearby stairway. The hallway opened up at the end into a living room which was just as dusty and empty as the hallway, and Eddie sighed, taking a sweep of the area. Why had the woman on the phone told him to come here of all places? What was so important about  _ this  _ house in particular? 

It wasn’t until he turned to leave that he spotted it, his entire body freezing. There was a photograph on the television unit, and Eddie slowly approached it, reaching out to wipe the dust from the glass. There was a picture of a blonde girl no older than fifteen who bore a striking resemblance to him. He placed the photograph down quickly and checked the television unit drawers, finding a thick leather book with  _ precious memories  _ printed onto the front of it. He opened it to the first page to see the girl again, much younger here, and underneath it someone had scrawled a message.

_ Alessa, aged five. _

Eddie flicked through the photograph album, stopping at each one. There were an array of photographs that ranged from  _ Alessa’s first day at school  _ to  _ Alessa’s Wedding Day. _ The woman in the pictures looked more like him with each one. Was this what the caller had wanted him to come here to see? It was clear this was a relative of some kind; a sister maybe? But there were not photographs of  _ him _ in this house. The phone on the counter that separated the kitchen and living room began to ring, and Eddie approached it, reaching out to pick up the receiver. 

“Hello?”

“Good, you made it. I’ve been calling a lot hoping you would pick up.” It was the same woman who had called him at the orphanage, and she sounded exhausted now. “You’ve seen Alessa?”

“I’ve seen her pictures.”

“Good. Do you understand yet?”

“Understand what? Why does she look like me?”

“I can’t tell you that, Edward. But I can tell you this. Go up Levin street and take a right onto Finney Street and then another right onto Bachman Road. There’s an apartment building named Bachman Apartments. I left a key in the mailbox for apartment 105. That key will let you into apartment 304 on the third floor.”

“Why do you want me to go there? Why did you make me come here?”

“You’ll understand in time. Remember Bachman apartments, apartment 304. And… be careful. The Order of Samael knows you have returned and they’re looking for you. They’ll try to catch you, pull you in with their lies.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“You’ll know you can when you get to the apartment. Eddie, please tell me. Is my son okay? I heard him last night. He was in so much pain. A mother knows these things. I can’t… I need to know.”

“I don’t -”

“ _ Richie _ , Eddie! Is Richie okay!?”

“Richie? No, you can’t be - he told me his mother was dead.”

“Everyone is at least a little dead in Silent Hill. Please... tell me he’s okay...”

“I don’t know. I lost him after we got here. But I’m going to find him. I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Where are you? I can… I can bring him to you. He’d be so happy knowing you’re alive.”

“I’m sorry Eddie. He can’t come where I am.”

“Why don’t you call him?”

“I can’t. I want to… but… I just can’t. Please don’t tell him about me. He deserves better after what I did. I fear he would hate me.”

“What did you do? Was it the fire?”

“No. The fire wasn’t my doing. You’ll understand soon. Bachman Apartments, Eddie. Stay safe. May Valtiel protect you.”

The AV room was just as empty as the rest of the school. Richie closed the door behind him, crossing the room and grabbing the remote for the nearest television set and sliding the tape into the VCR. He stepped back, taking a seat and turning the television on. The screen flickered for a moment, displaying grey static before an image of Beverly filled the screen. She looked bloodied, like she had just tended to a patient, and there were blackish grey smears all over her face like ash or smoke.

“I don’t understand… the charr just peels off… his eyes don’t open… and I get a pulse but he’s just barely breathing. Why? What’s keeping that child  _ alive _ ? Those burns should have killed him.”

“You know, don’t you? About his mother?” A male voice off screen asked.

“I - of course I know about his mother! It’s the job of Valtiel’s Order to know all these things. That woman from the Order of Samael adopted him after she died and bad things happened. Doctor… please… what is he?”

The video suddenly cut off, replaced with the visual static from the start. What the hell was that about? Why had someone left this tape for him? Who had they been talking about? The video had given him no closure for anything, only questions. There was a sudden throbbing in his head and Richie raised a hand to his temple to push down on the area. Fire. There was so much fire. Dread. Panic…

“Richie?”

Richie turned sharply to look at the person in the doorway. “Stan? You’re here too?”

“We uh, got lost in the fog and crashed. When I woke up I was alone. I haven’t been able to find Mike anywhere. Have you seen him?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m trying to find someone too. You seen anyone named Eddie come here?”

“No, sorry.” Stan looked around the staff room warily. “Do you know what’s going on here? Earlier it changed… like… the world starts to peel away and everything is all metallic and dark. It’s like something out of a fucking nightmare.”

“I don’t know what’s going on. When I saw everything peel away… I think I blacked out. Or maybe I’m blocking it out. I don’t know.”

“I wouldn’t blame you for blocking it out. I wish I could. It was an endless nothing. When it returned to normal… I saw you coming here but...”

“You’re worried about your friend?”

“Boyfriend, and yeah. I thought if I stayed in one place… but maybe he’s doing that too… but if he’s not and he’s looking for me...”

Eddie carefully slid the key into the lock of the apartment the woman had told him to go to, keeping a grip on his gun as he slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside, Mike close behind him. He didn’t know what to expect, but it hadn’t been this. Dusty and worn banners hung in the apartment with long deflated balloons that read  _ happy tenth birthday Edward _ . Deeming it safe, he returned the gun to his pocket and closed the door behind them, heading deeper into the apartment. There was a long gone moldy cake on the table in the living room, barely touched with a single candle resting in the middle. It didn’t hold his attention long, not when he spotted the framed photographs of himself on the wall. The woman on the phone had given him directions to where he’d lived when he was here.

“So this mysterious caller… you think you can trust her?” Mike asked, looking around the apartment.

“I think so.” Eddie didn’t look away from the collection of framed photographs he was looking at. “She led me to that house where there were pictures of a woman who looked like me, and then here. This woman here barely looks like me. I’m more confused than I was before but… that caller… she’s Richie’s mom. She’s trying to help me.”

Mike reached out for something on the nearby table. It was a silver oval pendant like the kind that had pictures inside. Mike approached Eddie, holding it out to him. “Maybe there’s something in here?”

Eddie took the pendant and stared at the front.  _ My darling baby sister. _ He pried the pendant open, almost dropping it when he saw the pictures inside. On the left was the one the caller had called Alessa, while on the right was the woman in the pictures here. “They’re sisters? So Alessa is my aunt?”

“I don’t know...” Mike seemed uneasy, looking at the pictures on the wall. “I think… maybe Alessa was your mom. Maybe that’s why you look so much alike. Maybe… she died.”

Eddie looked around the apartment, slowly snapping the pendant shut. Maybe Mike was right. Was that what the caller wanted him to know? That his mother was dead and he wouldn’t get all of the answers he wanted? Almost as if he’d willed it, the phone on the table started to ring. Eddie grabbed the receiver quickly, holding it between himself and Mike so he could listen.

“Hello?”

“Do you get it now?” 

“Is Alessa my mom? Is that why you wanted me to come here?”

“She is. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but I thought it was best to show you.”

“Why have you been helping me?”

“I guess… I want to be forgiven more than anything.”

Eddie felt his chest seize. “For what?”

“I failed my son. I promised him… I told him nothing would happen to you.”

“Can you tell me? Where you are? I want to help you. I want to take you to Richie.”

The woman hummed quietly in thought for a moment. “You won’t find me even if you come here. Not until… the world changes. I’m at the Lakeside Amusement Park.”

“What’s your name?”

“Maggie.”

“I’ll see you soon Maggie. Just hold on.”

The phone started to beep, signalling that the woman had hung up. Until now, it had never really fully sank in, but now it was as though someone had shocked his brain. Richie had lived in this town too. They’d  _ known  _ each other. That was why he’d always felt a sense of familiarity and comfort with Richie. How close had they been? Why couldn’t Eddie remember it? Why couldn’t  _ Richie _ ? None of this made sense, but Maggie had answers. If he went to the amusement park he could get them.

“Are you sure we should be splitting up like this?” Stan asked as they stood on the corner of Midwich and Bloch Street. “Maybe… it’d be better if we go together. We’d be safer in numbers, you know?”

Richie shook his head, tucking his hand into the pockets of his jeans. “I’ll just slow you down Stan. That crash did a number on me.”

“That’s all the more reason you shouldn’t go off alone! You’re too hurt!”

“Nope. Every delayed second you stop to wait for me is another that your boyfriend ends up further away from you. Go find him.”

“Right. I uh… I hope you find your friend. If I see him I’ll point him in this general direction.”

“I’ll do the same for you.”

Richie watched Stan as he walked off into the fog before he turned to face Bloch Street. Where the hell could Eddie be? Maybe he should have just stayed at the hospital and waited for him to show up. It was no use dwelling on what was done though. Richie heaved a sigh, heading off into the fog as the static started to break through his radio again.

“-chie… lake… park… eddie… please… forgive me.” Before Richie could reach for his map, the world around him had gone dark.


	6. Chapter 6

“Mike?” Eddie called, shining his flashlight around. 

Ever since the world had changed again, he hadn’t been able to find him. It was like he’d vanished into thin air and Eddie had entertained the idea that maybe this… other place was different for everyone. But Michael had been in it. He’d seen him. He’d spoken to him. He’d been travelling with him no matter how short the distance had been. It was the same for everyone. So where the hell was Mike now? Unlike last time, the world hadn’t shifted to an endless void. It was a subway platform, a rusted broken train standing in front of him.

“Mike?” Eddie tried again, slowly stepping into the train. It was empty, and the door at the very back was ripped from its hinges. Eddie approached the broken door, jumping down onto the tracks and shining his flashlight around. “Mike!”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Eddie turned sharply, the beam of his light landing on a woman standing inside the train. Where the hell had  _ she  _ come from? As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Eddie could see that it was the same woman from the photographs at the apartment. Sonia. “You’re -”

“Silence, murderer.” The woman spoke, stepping towards the train door. Eddie took a few steps back as she effortlessly dropped out onto the tracks. “Because of you, I lost the only thing I care about. Your - my - oh, my sweet darling Alessa. You look so much like her, but no resemblance will stop my hate. She was supposed to birth a God, and instead, we got you. A demon. One who killed her the moment he was born. I tried to forgive you, Samael knows I did, but I - every year you looked more and more like what I had lost.”

“Is that why you gave me up? Because you couldn’t get over her death?” 

“I never gave you up, Edward. I thought - I wanted to keep you - for her - but knowing what was inside of you… I had to expel the demon. I knew that if I could expel the demon inside of you I could take care of you. Destroy the sin and keep the innocence.”

It suddenly felt as though Eddie couldn’t breathe, like he was trapped in a room of smoke. “ _ What did you try to do to me? _ ”

“What all good members of Samael’s Order does; burn the husk and retrieve the innocent soul to implant into a stillborn child to give them new life. I had to separate the you that killed Alessa from the you that I could raise.”

“You really believe that kind of garbage works? You’re  _ insane _ .”

There was a clang behind Sonia and Eddie’s eyes shot up to the roof of the train. This creature was different to the last one he’d seen. It was still human bodywise, male, and there was a sack over his head, fused into its body. Like the creature with the helmet, he carried a weapon, or rather  _ weapons _ , and they looked built for torture; slim and sharp needle like weapons.

Sonia glanced back over her shoulder, seemingly not all that fazed by it. “I see you’ve called one of your little pets.”

“I didn’t -”

“Don’t lie to me, demon. We all know you call them when you’re even the slightest bit afraid.”

The creature lunged for Sonia and Eddie ran. The subway tunnel was long, and Eddie didn’t care how far he had to run to get away from that woman. A horn sounded ahead, followed by a set of lights that turned the corner. A train?  _ Here _ ? Eddie had become frozen to the spot, willing his body to move - to do  _ something _ \- but it just wouldn’t respond and the train was getting closer and closer at a fast pace.

“Eddie!”

A hand wrapped around his arm suddenly, yanking him upwards and onto a platform. Eddie hit the metal ground hard with a loud clang that echoed around them, and the train wooshed by down the tunnel towards Sonia and the creature she was dealing with. A loud crash sounded as the train collided with the other one, echoing around them. Eddie finally looked up at his saviour, both relieved and disappointed all in one.

_ Michael _ .

Eddie clambered to his feet. “How - what - I saw that thing kill you!”

“What thing? Are you… okay?” Michael asked looking around the metallic subway platform. “I haven’t seen you since the bridge in the fog.”

Michael didn’t remember that creature? How? Had Eddie imagined that? “I’m fine I guess… this place is playing tricks on me.”

“Yeah it does that. So… where’d you wanna go now?”

“As far away from here as I can. I need to get to the amusement park. There’s someone I need to find. They’re trapped in this other world and they’ve been helping me. I want to help her but I can’t find her if everything goes back to normal.”

“You gave up on finding Richie?” Michael asked as they started to ascend the steps.

Eddie shook his head, exhaling heavily. “No… but I know he’s fine wherever he is.”

“How do you really  _ know _ he’s fine?”

“I just… I just know. It’s a feeling I have.”

“Right… you  _ sure  _ you’re just friends?”

“Yeah, we’re just friends. Why?” 

Michael hummed, almost disbelieving. “Because it sounds like you wanna be more than that with the way you talk about him.”

They lapsed into silence as they ascended the rest of the narrow staircase and emerged out onto a metal parking lot. There were a few abandoned cars under flickering lights, and just beyond them, there was a set of metal gates encased in a clown’s open mouth with a sign above them. Some of the letters were missing and there were some lights that either flickered or just didn’t work.  _ Lakeside Amusement Park _ . They crossed the metal parking lot with low clangs, Eddie wrapping a hand around one of the bars on the gate to push it open. 

Eddie didn’t know why he’d expected the park to look different, or why he was disappointed when it was all the same rustic metal as the rest of the place. Maggie was here, and he needed to find her. “I wonder where she could be.”

Michael studied there nearby map for the park, tracing it with his finger. “How did you know she was here?”

“She told me on the phone. That’s how she was helping me.”

Michael nodded. “It looks like… there are payphones beyond the carousel. That has to be where she’s hiding out from the monsters. The Carousel isn’t too far from here.”

“It’s weird… I haven’t seen many monsters but… to hear people talk… they’re everywhere.”

“ _ You _ wouldn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Michael started to walk and Eddie followed. “I told you, I grew up in this town. Which means all my life… I’ve been told that you’re a demon… that you make monsters. That  _ she  _ did too.”

“She? Alessa?”

“Yeah. It’s a little something like this. The people of the town wanted a mortal god. A protector. Someone who would keep this place pure, but everyone had conflict over this. Over what they thought a mortal god should be and then Alessa and Sonia were born. Their mother believed that Alessa would be the mortal god or usher the mortal god into the world because she had powers. When Alessa fell pregnant, her older sister took care of her. She created the Order of Valtiel to keep her safe. But... as the pregnancy went on, Alessa became sick. She knew that you might not survive the birth. I don’t know what she did or where she went but she took three members of Valtiel’s Order with her. Her sister, a doctor, and a nurse. She never returned, but they did.”

“What does this have to do with the monsters?”

“I’m getting to it. Sonia left the Order to raise you, but you had powers she didn’t expect. She believed that they were those of a demon. She said that you created monsters out of shadows. You were too risky to keep so she created the order of Samael and waited until you were ten to separate you from the demon inside of you that caused Alessa’s death. She believed that there was a part of you deep down that was innocent, that had what they needed for this mortal god.”

“She really  _ is _ crazy.”

“Yeah, that’s what this town seems to think but… I can’t help but wonder how on point  _ Valtiel’s  _ Order might have been. See,  _ they  _ believe that you’re exactly what the town asked for, what it wanted, and that the monsters are your protection.” 

Eddie heaved a sigh as they rounded a corner, walking the stretch to the carousel just ahead. “Well, I don’t know about any of that but they seem to have one thing right. Two of the monsters I ran into attacked things that wanted to hurt me.”

“Maybe you  _ are _ a demon… or maybe you’re a mortal god… or maybe you’re neither and everything is just bullshit and a coincidence. Either way, you’ve been shoved into one hell of a situation Eddie.”

“Yeah, and now I just wanna find this woman, and then Richie, and then get the hell out of this town.”

The carousel like everything else, was rustic and worn as they climbed onto it, moving at a slow pace. As they started to cross the platform, Eddie was certain he could hear the horses  _ breathing _ . He shook the thought from his head and circled the control panel, coming to a sudden stop. There were no horses here, but there was a wheelchair, and sitting inside of it was a woman in a nurses uniform with such a striking resemblance to Richie that it was almost frightening.

“Maggie?” Eddie asked, slowly approaching her and crouching.

“Eddie… you came.” Maggie breathed, slowly looking up at him. “They didn’t get you.”

“I met her. I met Sonia. What did she do to me?”

“She took you to the place where Samael’s Order gathered. She tried to kill you. You’re not a demon Eddie - you’re not! You’re just… special. Who is she to decide what a mortal god can and can’t do?”

“But I’m not a -”

“You are! I watched you for ten years disguised as a member of Samael’s order. You were a good kid. You just couldn’t control it. But she wants you to. She wants you to finish what you started the day you set the hotel on fire.” Maggie’s eyes shifted to Michael. “You’re a good imitation, I’ll give you that, but you won’t pass. Not in the end.”

Michael shifted uncomfortably on the spot. “Is this another  _ you look like this guy  _ thing?”

Eddie glanced back over his shoulder apologetically. “You  _ do  _ look creepily like him.”

“I hear him.” Maggie said, slow rising to her feet. “He’s in so much pain.”

“Him? Richie?”

“Yes. My son… He’s so close. My dear sweet boy, what hurts you so much?” Maggie was quiet for a moment as though she were listening for something as Eddie climbed to his feet. “But he’s okay Richie. He’s here at the carousel with me. He’s alive and unharmed. I know. It hurts. I’m the reason this was even able to happen to you. I should have never offered you as a protector. All I’ve done is cause you pain. Where are you now?” The sound of metal scraping against metal sounded and Maggie looked over her shoulder. “Ah, there you are.”

Eddie opened his mouth to ask when the grind became louder and the creature with the pyramid helmet stumbled its way up onto the carousel. No. There was no way. Maggie was crazy if she thought this was Richie. He wasn’t even the same build or height. He reached out to grab her hand, to pull her back, but Maggie stumbled out of his reach towards the creature. The creature didn’t move as she approached it, reaching out to place a hand on its arm.

“Oh, my sweet boy, what have you become?”

“Maggie! You need to get away from it!” Eddie rushed across the platform and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “That’s not your son, it’s a monster!” The creature recoiled and it caught Eddie off guard. Why would it recoil like that? It wasn’t like it actually was -  _ was it _ ?

“Oh, he doesn’t mean it Richie.” Maggie assured, taking the creature’s free hand in her own. “He just doesn’t know. Don’t be upset. It's my fault this can happen to you. I’m sorry. I know, I know what he told you. Your dad told you what he had to. I can’t leave this place, and you can’t come to this place as you.”

Eddie slowly released Maggie’s arm, tilting his head back to look up at the creature’s helmet. “Is that really you Richie?” The creature nodded slowly, the sharp point of the helmet barely grazing Eddie’s head and Eddie stepped forward, shoving at Richie’s stomach. “You jerk. I was worried about you. Why did you just shove me away before? Why didn’t you… you should have come with me!”

“He can’t. He doesn’t - he knows he’s Richie but Richie doesn’t know that he’s him. Like this… he’s only driven by the desire to kill Samael’s Order. To keep you safe from them so they can’t repeat the past.”

“You’d do a better job of that if you stuck  _ with _ me!” Eddie snapped and the creature shook his head. “No? What do you mean no? Don’t you ‘no’ me. I don’t want you to leave again.”

Michael, who had been watching the interaction carefully, took a wary step towards them. “We can’t take something like that with us Eddie. It’s a monster.”

Maggie’s head snapped to Michael, a frown crossing her face. “And you’re just a fake imitation. You cannot both exist at the same time. This time, you won’t come back from what he’s going to do to you.” She grabbed at Eddie’s hand and started to pull him away from the carousel towards the haunted house.

“Maggie what are you doing!? You can’t just - we can’t just leave someone to die like this!” The creature had grabbed Michael around the throat now, raising him into the air while Eddie tried to break free of Maggie’s grip. “Richie! No!” 

The last thing Eddie saw before the mansion doors closed was the creature slamming Michael into the control booth with a clang and raising the large blade, pointing the tip at him.

Eddie wrenched his hand from Maggie’s grip, turning sharply to face her. “Why? Why would you -”

“It had to be done. He’s not what you think. There’s a reason he looks and sounds like Richie. Alessa will tell you in time.”


	7. Chapter 7

Richie stirred to find himself lying on the floor of a slow moving carousel that was splattered in blood. The fog didn’t seem as thick as it usually was, and he could clearly see the entrance to the haunted house. He rose to his feet as the carousel continued to spin, catching sight of the long blade that was dug into the control booth, caked in blood just like his hands and face were. There was no way it was just a coincidence that he’d woken up with this weapon nearby again, and there was something in the back of his mind, something vague. 

A meeting with Eddie and what he was sure was his mother in a rustic metallic world? His imagination was clearly getting the better of him. He’d remember it more clearly if it had actually happened.

The carousel came to a stop, pointing him at the haunted house. There was a monster there now, sitting almost dog like. It was tan and leathery, a split up the side of its face that acted as a mouth. The apron it wore appeared to be fused to its body, and as it stood upright, Richie could see that most of its fingers were fused together, giving its hands a more crab-claw appearance. Richie felt an odd gentleness from it unlike with the acid spitting creature he’d run into. He climbed from the carousel and approached the monster, which stepped to the side and pointed at the haunted house.

“What’s through there?”

The slit up the side of its mouth opened, releasing a low gurgle. “Eddie.”

“What are you?”

“Valtiel.”

Richie knew he’d probably hate the answer to his next question but he still needed to know. “Why don’t I remember anything when the world changes?”

“No need yet. Soon.”

“Soon?”

“Must meet mother first.”

“Alright.”

Valtiel extended a hand, holding out a chain with a pendant at the end that had an extensive looking design of circles, triangles and lines, clearly for a cult of some kind, and Richie couldn’t help but notice that it looked almost identical to the birthmark on his hip. “Halo of Sun. You take. Protect self from otherworld.”

Richie took the chain and slowly fastened it around his neck as he looked up at the building in front of him. He’d never liked haunted houses, and he sure as hell didn’t like the idea that he had to go through one right now, but this was for Eddie. He needed to bite back whatever fear was creeping into him and just push through. Valtiel had told him Eddie was through here. He needed to catch up to him. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, Richie pushed the creaky doors open and stepped into the foyer of the haunted house.

_ Welcome, to the Borely Haunted Mansion. We’re so glad you came. Please come inside and look around. When you feel you are ready, then go through the door on the left hand side of the room. _

Richie groaned, turning to the left and stepping through the only open door. The haunted house pathway curved around a stand where there was a bloodied dining table and police tape on display. One of the solaces he had right now was that getting through here meant finally finding Eddie after all this time.

_ “Help… help...” _

_ Do you hear those voices? A family of four was sliced into bloody pieces in this room. Ah, the cries of the children… the murderer  _ **_was_ ** _ caught though. Do you know why he said he killed his family? Because he felt he had to. Just kidding! I wanted to scare you, that’s all. The truth is that only one person died in this room… by suicide. _

Richie tucked his hands into his pockets and rushed into the next room that was designed like a study. He had to get through this damn place as quickly as possible. He needed to catch up to where Eddie was. That was his only goal. Get to Eddie. He followed the path around, attention fixed solely on the door. There was a loud shriek as something fell down from the ceiling, a body swinging on a rope by its feet.

_ That’s Danny. He’s a quiet young man but quite friendly as you can see. He was so eager to meet you. His hometown is New Orleans but he came here after first losing his way. Oh, maybe you might know? Where is the path to heaven? _

Richie tried not to think about the fact there was  _ real  _ blood dripping from the body into a puddle on the floor, shouldering the body aside to reach the door and pushing on into the next room.

_ This mansion is quite old so please watch your step. Sometimes the floor suddenly gives way, and beneath the floor… there’s nothing. _

This wasn’t really a room of anything. It was just black with a single metal path leading him in an L shape to the next door. Eddie would have come through here, and Richie didn’t want to think about how this place would have affected him. It wasn’t that Eddie was a coward, oh no far from it, but this place had a way of grating on you until it instilled fear, and Richie was one hundred percent sure it was because of how empty and dark it was. 

Or maybe it was the narrator.

Richie walked across the pathway that looked like it was suspended in the air by chains, his feet clanging quietly against the metal path. He was almost at the door when the ceiling suddenly dropped, spikes hanging a few inches above his head even  _ with  _ him crouching to avoid being hit. Yeah, he fucking hated this place.

_ I’m so sorry. This place is just falling apart. The mechanism is broken, you see. It wasn’t supposed to stop there, I assure you.  _ The spiked ceiling slowly rose, and the narrator continued.  _ There’s the exit. I hope you enjoyed your tour. Please come back anytime. Or, if you’d prefer, we could come and visit you instead. _

Richie shoved the door open and pushed on. There was no outside like he’d expected, just a long hallway that veered off to his left. What kind of haunted house  _ was  _ this anyway? There was barely anything in it and now they had a cheap scare with a fake exit to the building. He couldn’t wait to get out of this damn place.

_ That was supposed to be the exit, but it seems that no one wants you to leave. Everyone really likes you. They want you to stay with them forever. Don’t be afraid, dying is so much easier than living. _

A red smoke started to creep towards him and Richie quickly covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, taking off down the hallway. The smoke moved almost as fast as he did, barely missing him numerous times, but it was right at that moment he’d never been more thankful to see the world start to peel away around him, the wooden floor becoming metal which his feet clanged loudly against as the smoke faded through the grates in the metal.

And this time, he was fully conscious of what was happening, coming to a halt in the broken hallway. “What -”

“Halo of Sun. Protection.”

Richie’s head snapped up to see Valtiel creeping along the ceiling above him almost spider like before he looked down at the heavy pendant around his neck. “This? It keeps me conscious when everything changes?”

“Halo is symbol of protection. Keep Order members safe when world changes. Gift from mother. Mother give protection to Valtiel to give to son.”

“But I’m not -”

“Richie belong to Order. To Valtiel’s Order. Branded at young age with incomplete halo of sun. Incomplete halo allows transformation.”

“What transformation?”

“No time for Valtiel to explain. Richie go now. Richie help Eddie. Go see mother. Richie remove pendant if need strength from other self. Choice to transform is Richie’s as should be.” Richie took off through the empty doorway that was the ride’s exit ahead and took off into the dark; the clanging grew quieter the further away he moved. Valtiel watched him vanish into the dark, waiting until he was completely out of sight before crawling off back into the mansion. “Valtiel take care of Samael’s Order that follow Richie.”

Eddie didn’t have a clue where he was anymore. Maggie had told him to run, and he had. Samael’s order had caught up to them, and they were relentless, demanding that Eddie go with them. He’d spotted this building in the distance and ducked into it, finding himself what looked like a cross between a hospital and a prison. The rooms looked hospital like in decoration, but the walls and doors were bars like cells, and the further he went in, the darker it got. Taking out his flashlight, Eddie shakily switched it on and headed up the hallway. None of the elevators appeared to be working, and the doors to the stairwells were locked, leaving him with only one option - the long dark hallway ahead. Eddie broke into a run again, determined to put some more distance between himself and the Order.

He came to a sudden stop as something caught his attention and backtracked a few cells, the beam of his light shaking as he tried to catch his breath. He hadn’t expected any of the rooms to actually be occupied in the weird metallic version of the town, but one of them was. The room was the only one with actual walls except the one that separated it from the hallway, and inside it was Michael. He was sitting in a chair, casually and looking completely at ease as though he’d been waiting for him to arrive without a single scratch on him with a single light swinging back and forth above him. 

“Michael... you’re still alive? I… I thought that thing killed you… it stabbed you… on the carousel… I saw it.”

Michael furrowed his brow in confusion, sitting more straight in his chair. “Stabbed me? What do you mean?” He suddenly laughed, shaking his head slowly as though he found the notion funny. “Eds? Did something happen to you after we got separated? Ohhh, maybe the crash rattled you. I should have been careful. I’m sorry.”

Eddie felt his heart slow. How could he possibly know that name? Only Richie ever used it. There was no way he could have known it. “Where the hell did you hear that name? Aren’t you... Michael?”

Michael seemed confused again at his question, head tilting slightly. “What are you talking about Eds? I always call you that.”

“No. No, you don’t. How do you know that name?”

Michael laughed again, an easy smile coming to his face. “I’m not your Richie, Eds. But I could be,” he dipped a hand into his pocket, producing a pair of glasses and sliding them onto his face, “if you want me to be.”

“What -”

Michael slowly rose from the chair, approaching the bars. “I can be the exact Richie you always wanted. The one who dresses normal and the one who is  _ quiet _ . That’s what you wanted right? One more like me?”

Eddie could feel his heart slow. “What the hell are you?”

Michael reached through the bars and placing his hand to Eddie’s cheek. “I’m as real as he is. As you are. Leave this place and take me with you. I might not be Richie, but I’m close enough. I can  _ become  _ him.”

Eddie jerked his head away from the hand. “That’s not what I meant. I asked you what you were.”

Michael dropped his arm back to his side with a frown. “What’s the problem Eds? This is what you wanted. I exist because of  _ you _ . And now you just wanna throw me away? For…  _ that _ ?”

Eddie took a step back from the bars. “You’re not what I want. You’re all... wrong.” He turned away from the cell and started to walk down the hallway. He had more important things to do… like finding the  _ real  _ Richie.

He heard the sound of a scoff followed by Michael’s voice. “You’re gonna regret it Eds. Monsters don’t feel love. He’ll never feel the way you do and by the time that you realise that it’ll be too late. I’ll be gone and you’ll be left with that monster.”

Eddie turned sharply, feeling the frustration and anger rising. “The only monster I know of here is  _ you _ . You think that it’s okay to just come to me looking like him, sounding like him, and trying to take his place? You might have his face and you might sound like him but under that… you’re just nothing… a cheap imitation.”

Michael smiled, curling his hands around the bars. “But I’m born from  _ your _ desires Eddie.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I never -”

“You wanted a Richie that would love you and here I am.”

“You could never be Richie.”

“That all depends on the Richie you’re talking about here, Eds. This,” he gestured to himself, “or the monster that you created out there. That’s right, you do that to him. When the world peels away because of you… he becomes a monster… because of you.”

“You’re wrong. He’s not - I don’t -”

“Oh Eds… poor little Eds. Don’t you understand yet? You’re not a mortal god like Valtiel’s order seems to think you are. Gods don’t make monsters like you do. You’re nothing but a demon of darkness that warps everything it touches.”

Eddie dropped his flashlight as though it had burned his hand, the pain spreading up his arm. He vaguely remembered a hotel hallway and a room on fire. “Maggie was right about you. I hope he destroys you for good this time.”

Richie stepped into the unknown building, confusion settling in. The outside had been styled as a prison, but the inside? The inside had contained a hospital lobby that had taken him into what looked like the living room of a house, except there was only a table in the middle and a chair either side. One of them was occupied by his mother. She smiled warmly at him, motioning for him to sit across from her, which he did.

“I imagine you have questions.”

“I have  _ so  _ many questions… but I guess what I want to know most is… why I black out whenever this place changes.”

Maggie folded her hands onto the table with a sigh. “That’s because you have another form - one that only exists here in this other world. You just don’t remember taking it because there is a wall that exists in your brain between _ him _ and you.”

“Why do I have this other form?”

“You have it because of Eddie. I don’t think that he intends you to become that thing, but the years of repressing the darkness just muddles everything up. The teachings of Valtiel’s order tell us that a Holy Mother will be born and usher in a Mortal God. No one knows the task of this God but we are told that they need three Guardians. You are one of those Guardians.”

“I - what?”

Maggie drew in a breath, sitting back in her chair. “You’re the executioner for the pain that still exists deep inside of him. When you chose Eddie all those years ago to be your friend when you were four years old… you chose the darkness before it was implanted in his heart. You were branded as part of the Order of Valtiel, but with one difference to the rest of us. The part of Valitel’s symbol that stops other worldly transformations was left off. That nurse that helped you after you crash… she’s a part of Valtiel’s Order too. She took care of him all those years ago when he was hurt. He was  _ ten _ , Richie. He was ten and they… they tried to burn him alive. They tried to kill Eddie because of what he could do. His mother tried to snuff it out with the religious beliefs of Samael’s order but it backfired and he set fire to room around him. When he was taken away, we knew he would return one day. I’m sorry Richie… for having you branded… I should have never - this task of protecting god… it was too much to place on a child.”

“Mom… don’t be sorry about that. Sure, I might not remember things when I turn into that thing, but because of this brand… because I can become that… I’ve been able to keep him safe and… I’m not a child anymore. It’s not too much for me to handle.”

Maggie smiled, almost sorrowfully. “You’re such a good boy Richie. I have no right to ask you anything after what I have done to you but please… please don’t be angry at your dad for not telling you about me. He only lied because I asked him to. I had to stay here and you were never supposed to know about this town or it’s dark history.”

“I’m not angry at him. I promise. I understand why he did it. Why… why don’t I remember anything about this town or Eddie? If I lived here… if I knew Eddie… why is everything from then just a void?”

“No one should have to remember what happened back then. I asked Valtiel to extract those memories from you. It was enough that you were there to see it in person. You didn’t need to remember it.”

“I want to know. I  _ need _ to know. All of this that’s happening here revolves around Eddie and I want to know exactly what they did.”

“I cannot help you remember the past.” Maggie pointed off to the side where there was a rusted metal door with Valtiel’s symbol drawn in blood. “But he can help you to remember. Valtiel always helps those of his Order.”

“I’m gonna come back here for you when I’m finished with my task, you know that right?”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Richie? When you become trapped in this other world, it’s because you’re dead. That’s why I gave Valtiel that pendant for you. It serves no purpose to me anymore but it can help you. If you don’t transform, you don’t get distracted by Samael’s order and you can reach Eddie faster. I can’t leave this Otherworld and you shouldn’t come back here. What you need to do is find Eddie, save him, and get out of this place.”

Richie rose to his feet, heading for the door and slowly pushing it open, casting one last look to his mother over his shoulder. This was probably the last time he would see her, but he couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye. It made this whole thing too real and that was something he couldn’t face right now. The room beyond the door was dark and resembled that of a police interview room except that it was metal and bloodied. Valtiel was creeping along the far end of the room, stopping when the door swung shut behind Richie once he was inside. 

Valtiel’s attention moved to Richie, and he extended a hand, pointing to the only chair that was sitting in the middle of the room. “Hello Richie. Seat. Take.”

Richie approached the chair, gripping at the back and slowly sinking onto the uncomfortable metal surface, never once taking his eyes away from Valtiel. “My mom said that you can clear up my hazy past for me.”

“Yes, Valtiel tell Richie all about town history and events around the burning of Eddie. Story start with Alessa.”


	8. Chapter 8

Eddie shoved his way through a set of double doors, more than happy to put as much distance as possible between himself and the fake Richie. If he really had created Michael, then he could uncreate him since he didn’t need him. He’d never needed  _ him _ . He’d needed  _ Richie _ , and all he wanted right now was to find the real one. The new area looked like a room that had been burned. There were holes in the ceiling that showed the pitch black darkness beyond, and a long iron chain swinging back and forth, the circular pendant at the end clanging against a turned over fire pit. 

There didn’t appear to be a way out here, but Edidie did notice one thing as he searched. There was a wall length mirror at the far side of the room, and as he approached it, a sudden horrifying realisation came washing over him. That wasn’t his reflection. It moved when and how he did but it wasn’t him. He’d seen the woman’s picture enough to know it was Alessa. The room behind her didn’t look burned. The wood looked fresh and clean, and there were empty, freshly painted bleachers behind him. 

Alessa raised a hand, slowly pressing it to the glass. “This is where they dealt with demons. I brought you here to remind you. This is what it looked like ten years ago before and after you destroyed it.”

“Me? What did -”

“Michael told you, didn’t he? About me? About you? This town? You’re the one who makes the world peel away just as I once could. You never used to do this though. Not until your tenth birthday.”

“I do all this? Why?”

“Fear and hate are powerful tools.” The woman frowned, her eyes never once leaving Eddie. “I never wanted you to suffer like I did. You were… the part of me that could be free from this town… this pain. My mother, if you could call her that, conditioned me my entire life to birth a Mortal God because I was her oldest daughter. I underwent painful rituals until I feared her and this town, and the darkness was born from that fear. My body was so weak… I knew that you wouldn’t make it but I couldn’t lose you. You symbolised what I found after my mother died. My freedom. I offered my life to Valtiel in exchange for yours and begged that you be taken away from this town. Valtiel accepted my offer, and you were allowed to live, and that’s when everything changed. My sister, my dear sweet darling baby sister, how could she betray me like this?”

Eddie stepped closer to the mirror, his attention solely fixed on Alessa. “What happened?”

“That woman… she was supposed to take you away but she kept you here. She ignored my dying wish, and when you showed slight power that resembled the place where I had died, she branded you a demon. The Order of Valtiel never gave up its mission even though Sonia had left it. It was led by a new person. A good woman who wanted only to help me… to help you. You’ve met her. A woman who looks passed monstrous forms and sees the human that exists behind them.”

“You mean Maggie?”

“That’s right. Maggie was such a nice lady - my dearest friend. That’s why I brought her to the Otherworld to help with your birth. I trusted her and her doctor friend with my life. They tried to stop you from getting hurt, but the most Maggie could do was send Richie to get help. He wasn’t ready for his true purpose in the Order yet. The Order of Valtiel has always been full of  _ good  _ people. You already know Richie was one, and his parents… disguised as part of Samael’s Order to keep you safe. There was that police officer… Chief Hanscom. He tried so hard to get here in time but he couldn’t. He lost his life that day when he ran through the fire to save you. Samael’s Order and faith bring death and pain. His fiancé… Doctor Marsh? She was nice too. She was in the Order and took good care of you. She was scared though… scared of how fast you healed. It defied medical logic, and then she understood. She understood what you were and had you transferred to a room in the hospital basement then told only two others where you were.”

“Maggie and -”

“Doctor Kaspbrak. He was a good man. A kind person who just wanted to help, that’s why I appeared to him many times and asked for his help. When Ben did not return from the fire, he went in. The fire had died out by then and he was able to free you from where Samael’s Order had suspended you above that fire pit. When you were recovered enough, he took you away from here on my request.”

“So all  _ this _ ,” Eddie motioned to the room around him, “All of this happened because of  _ me _ ? Because I wasn’t what they wanted?”

“But you  _ were _ what they wanted. The Order of Valtiel knew that. You were exactly what the town had asked for. The things you do now weren’t the same as what you could do back then… you have to understand, Eddie, you were innocent. You didn’t create  _ monsters _ from shadows like they said. Not really. You were a  _ child _ . They were harmless creatures from fairytale books. But when you hurt something so pure and innocent… fear is born, and that fear turns to hate… and that hate can change the world.”

Eddie inhaled shakily. He was regretting the answer he might get, but still he had to ask. He needed to know. “So… what… what am I now? A demon?”

There was a laugh from Alessa who stepped closer to the mirror, almost flattening herself against it. “You are no demon. You have always been and will always be the Mortal God that they asked for. You are a God of Judgement born from the Holy Mother in the Otherworld and ushered into the world by Valtiel himself and his Order. You weren’t supposed to know about what you were until you were old enough, and you were never supposed to use the Otherworld. But then… they burned you… darkened your heart… and you gained the same powers I once had. And now… you must finish what you started. You and your weapons were drawn here by unfinished business. The purification of this town.”

The information sent his head reeling, but he couldn’t help but latch onto the part at the end. “My weapons?”

“There are three weapons that exist in the darkness. Imprisonment, Torture, and Execution. You’ve met two of them. They came to your aid when you were scared. They’re protectors, marked with the unfinished Halo of the Sun.”

“Richie isn’t a weapon.”

“Richie isn’t, but deep inside of him is a darkness that is drawn to the Otherworld. A fear and hatred that  _ Richie  _ can’t explain and if his Otherworld self  _ could _ explain it, it would. The hatred of losing his friend at a young age, and the fear that he would lose you again. That fear and hatred is what makes him into a weapon. That boy loves you, Eddie, so much. More than I’ve ever seen anyone love. That’s how the Otherworld was able to manifest a copy of him. Whenever you changed the world, the darkness tapped into his human emotions and your memories of Richie, but somewhere it became muddled. It couldn’t give you the Richie you wanted so it gave you the next best thing that it could.”

“Is that why Richie tried to destroy him?”

“An imitation will always offend the original. He didn’t understand why or how this thing existed because  _ he  _ was Richie.” Alessa dipped her free hand into her pocket, removing what looked like a small sphere, extending the hand towards Eddie and pushing it through the mirror. “Richie is going to get hurt soon. You’ll be there for it and when it happens, you should push this into the wound. It won’t hurt him. It’s a gift from the Otherworld.”

Eddie reached out for the sphere, rolling it over in his hand and staring at the symbol that was floating inside it; the halo of the sun. “What does it do?”

“Aside from stopping him from dying, it will allow both Richie and the Executioner to be one. It will allow Richie to remember his time as the Executioner. It breaks down the barrier between the man and the monster.” Alessa pushed her other hand against the mirror, poking her hand through the glass as Eddie pocketed the sphere. “There’s a gift for  _ you  _ too. Though I am long gone from this world and no amount of powers can bring me back, I want to give you what is now rightfully yours. The complete knowledge of the darkness. How it works. How to control it.”

Eddie reached out, sliding his fingers through Alessa’s and curling his hand around her own. Alessa felt warm and comforting, and as she pushed against the mirror and slowly began to emerge from it, he felt the static pulse that pounded in his head as she merged into him. The static grew stronger and louder, almost deafening, and as he lost his grip on his consciousness, he could have sworn that something large with a bird like head crawled out of the shadows, almost plague doctor like in appearance, extending a hand towards him and wrapping it around his waist.

Richie slowly rose to his feet, staring at the creature standing in front of him. Now he knew everything about the town. He understood what he was and what he had to do, and he understood every crime Samael’s cult had performed. Eddie was a Mortal God and as long as Samael’s Order still lived, Eddie was in danger. All  _ Richie  _ had to do was get Valtiel into the church. If he let Valtiel into his body like a parasite, he could sneak him inside. The Order of Samael didn’t give up easily, and they were getting closer to catching Eddie. Valtiel had told him to let them catch Eddie, that it would be easier, because he’d know where Eddie was and where to go.

Valtiel extended one of his claw like hands towards Richie and Richie reached out, curling his hand into the curve. It felt like he was like being shocked a hundred times in a row as Valtiel slowly fused into his body, pulling him closer to push against him and allow Richie to absorb him. Richie felt his legs shaking before they gave out completely, body heaving with the desire to vomit as he fell to his knees. Valtiel was gone from the room now, but Richie could feel him in his blood, taking a temporary home into his body.

_ Blind conviction repel Valtiel from the church. Valtiel cannot enter, but Richie can. Valtiel can get into church in Richie and do rest. For her. For  _ **_him._ ** _ Valtiel have one more gift. Valtiel give Richie memory back. _

The world around Richie grew dark, a clang echoing as his body hit the metallic floor.

Eddie jerked awake, finding himself once again no longer in the metallic world. Everything seemed normal again, though he did notice that someone had dragged him to a house and had deposited him onto the sofa but the place was eerily quiet. Eddie slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, feeling the ache in his body from where he’d joined with Alessa and her darkness.

“Oh good, you’re awake. I was starting to worry.”

Eddie’s head snapped to the familiar voice, relief filling him instantly. “Mike. You’re -”

“Yeah, sorry about the whole vanishing thing.” Mike approached the sofa, taking a seat next to Eddie. “You’ve been out for a while. How do you feel?”

“How would you feel if you just suddenly found out you’re something...”

“Unique?” Mike finished, reaching over and squeezing Eddie’s shoulder. “I know. About you. I’ve known since I entered this town and met something called Valtiel in the Otherworld. That’s why I was in the school to help you. I was supposed to take you to Alessa sooner than you got there. Or rather… the memory of her burned into the Otherworld but those Order people showed up and I had to leave you when everything changed. I didn’t want you to see me as -”

“Were you the bird thing that helped me?”

“The bird? No. I was the thing in the subway that helped you. The bird that pulled you out Nowhere was Stan.”

“Stan… so you found him?”

“Yeah. It turns out that he doesn’t need my protection after all. He found Valtiel shortly after you and I parted.”

“So it’s just Richie who doesn’t know? What he is? That he lived here?”

“I’d imagine he does by now. Valtiel needed you to refuse the fake Richie, to cast it away, before he could really approach him. Michael had all of Richie’s memories of this place. When you refused the fake or ‘past’ Richie, whatever you want to call it, Valtiel was able to harvest the stolen memories to give them back to Richie.”

“He got them because of me, didn’t he?”

“He did, but don’t beat yourself up about it. Richie will remember, and he’ll come to you.”

The sound of feet thudding against the stairs reached them moments before a bloodied Stan appeared in the living room. “It’s them! Samael’s Order!”

Mike hastily climbed to his feet. “Take Eddie and go out the back! Get him out of here! I’ll hold them off!”

Richie bolted awake into a sitting position, finding himself in a familiar hospital room. Beverly was sitting in a chair next to the bed, blood streaking her face like dried tears and her hands clasped together in her lap. Even the collar of her dress was red, stained with blood, and she didn’t move or speak, watching him warily for signs of pain or discomfort.

“Are you feeling okay?” She finally asked, her voice soft and gentle.

“A few days ago I was  _ just Richie  _ and now I’m… I don’t even know what I am anymore. I’m just insanely confused.”

“I’m sorry. I was hoping that it wouldn’t go this far. I had hoped… that you would find Eddie and leave quickly before this.”

“The Order of Samael… what is it?”

Beverly heaved a sigh, slowly rising to her feet. “A cult of crazy people who used to take insane doses of a drug called White Claudia. They believe in something they call their God. Samael. Alessa was the only God of this town. I suppose Eddie is now, and Valtiel is their will. Their attendant. Those who follow Valtiel are good and nice. We ushered our Mortal God into the world with the purest intentions, and then Sonia snapped, turned to drugs, and now she raves about a flying creature named Samael. You know, don’t you? Your task from Valtiel?”

“Yeah, I know what I have to do.” Richie swung his legs over the side of the bed, slowly standing. “What happened to you? Your eyes -”

Beverly rose to her feet, and fresh blood started to run from her nose. “It’s been like this for a while now. I remember… the monsters didn’t start the day before you showed up. They’ve been here since Eddie left. I helped the Order of Valtiel and was destroyed for it. Eddie’s memories and will kept me in this world, as it kept others here too, but I have to go back to the Otherworld now. Find him, Richie. Find him and take him away from here. Never look back. Never bring him back. Let him be free of this place. Let this place die and be the ghost town it should be.”

“I will. I promise.”

“I know.” Beverly smiled, bringing her hand to her face to wipe the blood away from her nose. “I cannot believe that all this time… I never realised that I was the same as them. I lost my halo of the sun long ago, not that it would do me much good now… Eddie’s will alone kept me from changing into one of those monsters. He really is… something amazing...” 

Beverly slowly turned to face him, and Richie could already see the change that was happening to her. Her skin was becoming a kind of pale pink leather, and when she moved towards him, her movements were jerky and convulsive like she had no control over them, her limbs cracking with the movement. She suddenly swiped an arm out and Richie jolted back as he caught the glint of a scalpel in her hand, falling from the bed. Beverly stabbed the scalpel into the bed and slowly tilted her head to look at him, except there was no face anymore. The flesh was wrinkly and twisted into a spiral, her head letting out a sickening crack as she tilted it.

_ Beverly lost to Otherworld now. Fade into darkness and pass on. Order of Samael have Eddie at church. Valtiel smell fear. _

As Beverly somewhat straightened up and pulled the scalpel from the mattress, Richie backed towards the door and into the hallway, slamming it shut behind him. There was a thud as Beverly hit the door, a shriek echoing in the room beyond it.

“Goodbye, Doctor Marsh.”


	9. Chapter 9

The fog was thick again, but Richie found he no longer feared it or what might come out of it. His determination to save Eddie helped him to push on through it, and not even the stumbling figures like the one he’d thrown his jacket at could set him off course. They tried. They screamed and stumbled faster but Richie shoved them aside. Valtiel called them members of the Order of Samael, imprisoned by their own fear and hatred of anything different to them. Before he knew it, he was standing in the graveyard of the church, staring up at the building that stood at the top of the stone steps, an eerie shape in the fog. Richie raised his foot, placing it firmly on the first step. 

When nothing out of the ordinary appeared to happen to him, he started the ascent, stumbling his way up the stone steps towards the set of wooden doors, his eyes never once leaving the bloodied symbol painted on them; a circle with a triangle inside of it which had a strange kind of squiggle in it. Richie reached out once he arrived at the door, placing a hand to the wood and watching how the symbol seemed to shudder at the contact. He could hear voices inside the church, loud and shouting about a demon. 

Richie felt Valtiel stirr, a gurgling sounding in his head, fading into a growl.  _ Seal of Metatron used to keep Valtiel and order out. But Richie marked with unfinished symbol. Richie may enter church unharmed. _

“Once again, we are locked in battle with the demon who took our sister! Our Alessa! It planted itself deep within the womb and corrupted what should have been our Mortal God! But we will try again! We will destroy the shell and free the innocence deep down that’s smothered by the demon! That innocence is what remains of our saviour!”

Richie had heard enough, shoving open the doors to the church and walking inside. The Order members fell silent and turned to face the source of the interruption, but Richie wasn’t concerned about  _ them _ . He was concerned about Eddie on the podium, who was trying everything in his power to get Sonia’s hand off his arm which was red where she gripped at him. He spotted Stan too, off to the side of the church, held in place by an Order member who had his arms in a tight grip and pinned to his back.

Sonia’s eyes landed on Richie, a sickening smile twisting on her face. “So I see that the demon called one of its little demon spawn to help him. Are you weak, Edward? Is that why you called him in this pathetic human shell? The darkness shows what you really are,  _ Richie _ . This? You here in this form? This is a lie. You are no man. You… are a demon. Get him! He must not intervene with my purification ritual!”

“Demon?” Richie repeated, shoving the man aside who stepped forward to grab him. “That’s your fucking answer for anything that’s different to you, isn’t it?  _ Demon _ . And then you burn them. You know what I see? I see a room full of crazy phobics who formed a sick and twisted cult. I know you, Sonia. Valtiel told me exactly what you are and what you’ve done.”

“Silence heretic!” Sonia ordered. “You know  _ nothing  _ of the sacred job that was passed down to us from Samael himself over the years! He comes to us, a messenger, and tells us God’s will which we carry it out in his name!”

“Sacred job?” Richie asked, shoving aside a woman who rushed forward to grab him as he made for the podium. “How is sticking a bag over a person’s head to burn them alive a sacred job? How is burning a temple down for a religion you don’t understand  _ God’s will _ ? Let me ask you and your  _ God  _ something. What kind of a God tells a woman to kill her own nephew that her sister begged her to take care of and take out of this town? They _ don’t _ . This so called  _ faith _ of yours? It brings nothing but the death of innocent people. It lead you to burn a  _ ten year old child _ !”

“Shut up! You don’t understand -” 

“Oh, I understand just fine. I understand this town begged for a Mortal God that would take them to paradise. I understand that Valtiel granted that wish through Alessa but you’re so consumed by your sorrow and hate over Alessa’s death that you forgot! You forgot she willingly gave up her life for her son - the very child you tried to murder! You betrayed both Valtiel  _ and  _ Alessa, and they are  _ not _ happy with you.”

“You think you know Alessa’s mind? How she works? What she’d want? You know  _ nothing  _ of my sister, demon. She would have never allowed a demon into this town!”

“ _ Shut up _ !” Richie snapped, shoving his way through a cluster of people that tried to prevent him from advancing any further. “Alessa  _ loved  _ her son. She wouldn’t have wanted  _ this _ for him. Don’t you fucking get it yet? The darkness exists because of  _ you _ ! You took an innocent child and  _ burned  _ them. You struck that fear into Eddie that births the darkness - into a  _ child _ . And now you’re afraid - cowering at his revenge which exists because  _ you _ . Alessa  _ trusted  _ you with the life of her son and you betrayed her!”

A series of things happened next, so fast that it was almost like watching a movie on hyper speed. Eddie had managed to free himself from Sonia’s grip, stumbling across the podium away from her as one of the Order members rushed forward towards Richie, brandishing a knife. Her body blocked most of what was happening out, but Eddie saw the jerk of Richie’s body and the shock that came to his face. The woman stumbled back from him, revealing the knife embedded into Richie’s stomach. Richie’s chest heaved as he tried not to focus on the pain, reaching for the area where the weapon had penetrated his skin. He grabbed at the handle and yanked the knife out, dropping it onto the ground with a clatter seconds before his legs gave out and he hit the ground.

Eddie jumped the podium and rushed for Richie, crouching next to his unmoving body. “Richie!” He choked back a sob, pressing his hand against the bleeding wound. “Come on Rich... you can’t die here. I  _ need  _ you.”

Richie wasn’t moving and Eddie pressed his hand more against his bloodied shirt, his fingers gripping at the material. Why couldn’t he  _ do  _ anything? Alessa had called him a God, so why the  _ fuck _ couldn’t he save Richie? What use were any of these powers if he couldn’t use them right  _ now _ to save someone? They were useless.  _ He  _ was useless. Richie was going to die and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. 

He suddenly remembered the sphere Alessa had given to him, patting down his pockets and locating the item in his jacket, pulling it out and rolling it over in his hand. Alessa had told him to use it. Alessa was his real mother. He trusted her. Eddie shoved the sphere against the wound, pushing it into the body of the unconscious Richie.

“What are you doing, demon?” Sonia demanded, taking a step towards the edge of the podium to get a look. “What is that?”

Richie took in a sudden sharp breath, sitting up quickly as though he’d been shocked. “Holy fucking shit that hurt.”

Relief filled Eddie as he reached out, grabbing at Richie’s arm. “You’re okay...”

“I -” Richie suddenly heaved, turning away from Eddie to vomit, only it wasn’t vomit that came out of him. It was a thick black liquid that looked almost like tar, coming out in mass amounts and splattering on the floor. Eddie stared at the puddle of liquid, noticing how it seemed to be slowly absorbing into the wood under it which was starting to peel away. 

Sonia took a horrified step backwards on the podium “No - you couldn’t have… you brought the darkness in with you!”

There was a clicking and gurgling sound somewhere behind him, but Eddie didn’t want to look to see what it was as the candles around the church slowly flickered out one by one until the only light in the room came from the stained glass window directly behind Sonia. Valtiel, who had been creeping along the ceiling above them, suddenly dropped down and landing almost cat-like in front of them with a low growl.

Richie placed a hand to his stomach, slowly standing upright with some help from Eddie. There were thick black smears around his mouth from the tar, and Richie raised his free hand to his mouth, wiping at the still wet liquid, attention fixed on Sonia as he too began to peel away. “I’m the only executioner in this town, or have you forgotten that?”

The floor right under them was now fully metallic, and Eddie watched for the first time in fascination as the world around him peeled away the further the darkness spread through the church, replaced with the metallic and rustic state he’d become used to. A clang sounded, and Eddie was met with a large blade in front of his face, almost shielding him in a way. He followed the length of the blade to the hand curled around the handle and then the muscular body of the creature in front of him.

It was the first time he’d seen the creature since the carousel, and Eddie found that he no longer had even the slightest fear of it. Not now that he knew what was under the heavy pyramid shaped helmet. “Richie… please be careful.” 

Eddie watched the creature’s grip falter on the weapon for a moment before it’s head moved in a nod and he tightened his grip on the large blade before heaving it up. He swung it in a large circle, a  _ woosh  _ sounding as it swooped over his head, followed by screams and the splatter of blood on the ground. There were more screams further in the darkness followed by gurgles as Valtiel pounced on Order member after member. Eddie made a beeline for Stan ducking as another creature, the one he recognized from the subway with the bag over its head, leaped over him; slamming his body into the man who had a grip on Stan to free him.

“Why aren’t you -”

Stan grabbed at the chain around his neck, slowly raising it. “Valtiel’s Symbol. It stops me changing. You’re my priority. I have to get you out of here.”

“I can’t leave without Richie!”

“You’re not!” Stan curled a hand around Eddie’s wrist and pulled him in the direction of the doors. “We’re just gonna move out of his way. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be hit by that blade.”

Richie approached the podium, blade grinding against the ground and his attention solely fixed on Sonia who seemed oddly calm. “You think that you’re the only one chosen by a God, boy?” She raised her arms into the air as the ground under her peeled away, and then  _ she _ did too like Richie had, her body being replaced with a white leathery creature; curved blades in place of her arms. “Samael chose me for this! To put an end to the darkness! You’ll need to try harder than last time to kill me!” 

As the darkness finally consumed Sonia, Eddie recognized her as the monster who had killed Bill. He’d always assumed that Richie had killed that monster. He’d never considered that maybe he’d only  _ wounded  _ it. As Stan pulled him towards the doors, out of the immediate area of chaos, Sonia let out a high pitched blood chilling shriek and lunged for Richie. For a moment, Eddie had thought that Richie had gotten lucky when Sonia only sailed over his head, but then she landed almost catlike and rose to her feet, turning and swinging one of her bladed arms towards Riche. 

She’d gone for the blind spot, and the was a horrible shriek of metal as the blade penetrated the grate on the left side of the helmet, breaking part of it away. Richie didn’t seem swayed, however, bending his large body forward and shaking his head side to side. Sonia’s blade arm was stuck, the curve lodged into the side of the helmet, and there was no way of being able to shake her off. After another attempt of trying to shake her off, Eddie wrenched his arm out of Stan’s grip. He needed to help Richie. He couldn’t just leave him to struggle like this. Richie raised his left hand, lifting the large blade and Eddie found himself coming to a sudden stop as Richie slammed the point down into the floor, digging the weapon in place. Free of heavy burden, Richie shot his hand up to Sonia’s arm and gripped tightly, yanking her back. Sonia flailed from the movement with an aggressive shriek and Richie yanked again, unlodging the blade which pulled the rest of the grate off in the process before throwing her to one side.

Sonia stood with a feral shriek and ran for Richie. Richie turned and lashed out a hand, grabbing her around the throat and lifting her into the air. Sonia lashed out, swinging her blade arms and nicking at Richie’s arm and side; drawing blood as the sharp points scratched against his flesh. Eddie couldn’t see anything through the missing grate on Richie’s helmet, greeted by what looked like an endless black void. Richie threw Sonia again, this time towards the podium, and the white leathery creature slammed into the ground. 

Wrapping a hand around the handle of the blade, Richie tore it free from the ground and started to move towards the podium, determined to finish the job. One of the still living order members rushed for Eddie, only for Mike to slam into them and send them both rolling off into the dark. Stan was suddenly beside Eddie, grabbing his hand and pulling him back towards the doors. Sonia had risen to her feet again, walking the podium as though she were an animal stalking its prey. 

Just beyond the dim lighting of the stained glass window, Eddie could see the stumbling form of someone heading right for Sonia, and as they stepped into the light, it became clear it was a bloodied Maggie. She seemed determined, leaping forward and wrapping an arm around Sonia’s neck to yank her backwards.

“Those who betray Valtiel don’t get to die and move on. They suffer for eternity.” 

Maggie jerked Sonia to the side, and the last thing Eddie saw before Stan’s hand clamped over his eyes wasn’t Valtiel heading towards Sonia like he’d expected, but what looked like Alessa, stumbling her way across the podium like a zombie. He could hear the sickening crack as she moved, somehow drowning out the remainder of screams in the church. 

There was a shriek somewhere in the dark, the sound of scraping metal, and then soft hands pressing to his face, warm and comforting. “Sleep.” The voice was soft, female, followed by a hand running through his hair. “You’re free of this nightmare now.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Eddie!” 

Eddie woke to a quiet foggy world. He could vaguely recall Alessa’s voice before he’d passed out, and there was a soft low static hum in his head that was slowly fading into nothing. He was lying on the floor of the church, surprised that it wasn’t covered in blood after the massacre he’d seen and heard in the dark, but that seemed to be one of the upsides of the Otherworld. Whatever happened there didn’t happen here and that was always a relief to Eddie. 

There was something different about returning to the normal world this time though, and that something was Richie who was crouched next to him with a hand pressed to his shoulder, thumb rubbing against his shoulder soothingly. There was a smear of blood down the left side of his face but other than that he seemed fine, smiling at him in the all familiar comforting way. 

“Hey there.”

Eddie couldn’t stop himself from bolting upright, wrapping his arms around Richie’s neck and almost knocking him over in the process. “Richie… you’re okay... I didn’t imagine it… you’re here… you’re alive...”

Richie’s smile softened and he wrapped his arms around Eddie, sinking his bloodied fingers into the back of his shirt. “Yeah, Eds. I’m okay. I’m here. I see you saved my jacket.”

“I know it’s your favourite one. I couldn’t just let that monster keep it. Where are Stan and Mike?”

“They’re outside. They wanted to make sure there were no lingering order members. It looks they’re gone though, all of them.”

Eddie raised a hand, brushing a thumb against the dried blood on Richie’s face, suddenly realising that it was the exact place where Sonia had struck the grates of his helmet. “I’m so sorry Richie. I… I made you come out here to this place and you got hurt because of me. We should have never come here. I didn’t know… I didn’t know you lived here once too. I didn’t know this place would be just as painful for you.”

“Hey, you didn’t  _ make  _ me come here, Eds. You asked me to bring you here and I agreed to. I made the choice to do that. For you. I wasn’t about to let you take a road trip like this alone. Technically I only got hurt because of my own stupidity and some stupid blindspot. I didn’t think she was smart enough to find something like that.” Richie grinned, bumping a fist against Eddie’s temple lightly. “Next time don’t give me a damn blindspot. And… this place wasn’t as painful for me. It… gave me a lot of closure I never thought I’d get. Things I wanted to ask dad but couldn’t.”

“That doesn’t make it better that I dragged you here and into this. I dragged you through some kind of  _ hell  _ Richie. Into some damn cult shit.”

“Hey, I was too worried about you to care about the fact I was in hell. When I woke up in the hospital and they said I was alone... all I could think about was that  _ you _ were alone somewhere in this town and probably hurt. I tried. I tried so damn hard to find you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I made it harder for you to do that. And… I was never trying to replace you, you know? With that guy.”

Richie wrapped his arm back around Eddie and curled them tighter around him. “I know Eds. Valtiel told me how that imitation worked. The Otherworld took my repressed memories and tried to give you what you wanted but it couldn’t give you me because I was that thing so it gave you the next best thing and it started to become a sentient little brat. Just… stop apologizing. It’s okay. Everything’s fine.” 

Eddie nodded with an unsure look on his face and Richie’s expression changed to something even softer than it already was. Eddie would always blame himself for everything that had happened since they’d arrived here even though it wasn’t  _ really  _ his fault. He moved an arm from around Eddie, hooking a finger under his chin and tilting his head back. He thought about how close he’d been to losing Eddie. How he’d regret all the things he hadn’t told him, but now he couldn’t find the words so he drew him closer instead, connecting their mouths in brief kiss. 

“It’s fine.  _ We’re _ fine.”

Eddie dropped his hand to Richie’s chest, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him back in for another kiss, this one longer. “When they caught me and dragged me here… I told myself if I saw you again I’d do that. That I’d stop hiding how I felt. I could have lost you.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I didn’t.”

Richie stood, pulling Eddie to his feet. “Come on. Let’s get out of this place. Time to go home Eds. Your dad is probably worried.”

“Yeah… dad needs to know that I’m okay.”

Richie lead him from the church where Mike and Stan were waiting for them, both covered in blood. It served as a reminder to Eddie that the events in the church had actually happened, and when they passed a store window, Eddie could see that he was just as bloodied as they were. The thick fog that blanketed the town was fading now, showing the clear sky above them that was starting to break through. Eddie leaned into Richie as they walked, lacing their fingers together and leaning tiredly against him. He didn’t know how many days had passed since they’d entered the town, and nor did he want to. 

All he wanted to do was get out of here.

They headed for the nearest town exit after checking Richie’s map, none of them having the energy to hold up a conversation as they followed the curve of the road away from the town. It was just after they passed one of the town signs when the fog had cleared completely and they heard the sound of a truck approaching them from behind. Stan broke away from the group to flag the truck down which fortunately decided to slow to a stop, and the driver reached over to open the door, revealing a brunette woman sitting inside, hair pulled through the back of her cap. 

Stan cast a glance over his shoulder to see the others had stopped walking too, Eddie barely conscious with his head resting against Richie’s shoulder and Richie’s arm around his shoulders, rubbing a soothing circle with his thumb against his neck. Richie and Mike looked just as exhausted as Eddie did, the latter leaning against the sign with his eyes closed and almost dozing off. “Can you take four of us?” 

The woman hummed, leaning forward to get a better look at the bloodied group, a thoughtful look on her face. “What happened to you all?”

“We… crashed into each other a couple of days ago in the fog.”

“Strictly speaking I’m not supposed ta’ take passengers at all, but you guys look like you’ve had a rough time and I can’t just leave ya’ll stranded in the middle of nowhere. Hop on in. Where’d you wanna go?”

Stan exhaled in relief. “Anywhere is fine… as far as you can take us away from here.”

The woman smiled and sat upright, gripping at her steering wheel as she got comfy in her seat again. “Well, I can take ya’ll as far as Brahams since that’s my next stop on my journey. S’afew miles away from here… about five I think.”

“That’s fine, thank you.” Stan turned from the truck and jogged back over to the exhausted group. Eddie’s eyes were closed now, and Stan wasn’t sure if he was awake or sleeping. “She said that she can take us to Brahams. All four of us.”

Stumbling to the truck, they sluggishly climbed up into it, Stan first, followed by Mike. Richie helped Eddie to climb into the truck and then jumped in next to him, closing the door once he was settled. The woman shifted and started to drive again, silence falling over the group aside from the soft song playing on the radio.

_ Protect me, correct me, _

_ You got your orders soldier, _

_ Inside my head is humming, _

_ Sometimes I hear them - _

Static sounded over the radio, but it wasn’t the loud startling static that had once played through Richie’s radio. It was a soft hum that faded away, the song changing to a radio station it had picked up now they were out of Silent Hill’s range.

_ “And we’re back with the hottest station in Brahams; 105.5. A weather update for all you drivers still out there on the road, it’s gonna rain and rain hard with the storm heading our way. Stay safe on the roads, watch out for other vehicles and remember rest stops and motels are your friends. Tiredness kills on its own so let’s not add the rain to list of things to make you crash.” A male voice rang over the speakers. “And here’s Brenda with your news update.” _

Eddie yawned, propping his head back onto Richie’s shoulder as the news reporter for the station droned on about something that he didn’t pay attention to, threading his bloodied fingers through Richie’s and closing his eyes. He could feel Richie shifting, tilting his head to rest it against Eddie’s own as he curled an arm around his waist. 

It was over. 

They were safe.

  
  


**FIVE YEARS LATER**

Five years with barely activating the Otherworld was a long time to go considering it was attached to negative emotions. Eddie had, for the most part, learned how to control the dark powers that had been forced onto him when he was a child and then reawakened when he’d entered Silent Hill. As a precaution, he and Richie had taken to living outside of towns or cities. Though rare, on the odd occasion that any negative mood hit Eddie hard enough for the darkness to spread, it was bad, and they couldn’t risk anyone being caught up in it. Richie had taken the precautions to keep that from happening, finding a farmhouse they could live in. They didn’t have to worry about anyone innocent getting caught up in anything weird that happened, and that was enough for Eddie.

Over the years, Eddie had noticed that symbol of Valtiel’s order that had been  _ burned  _ into Richie’s flesh when he was younger, had faded now until it was just a bunch of thin barely noticeable lines. Eddie couldn’t see them unless he was  _ looking  _ for them, and he’d chalked it down to Richie’s task being finished. He didn’t need to be an executioner anymore, Eddie needed him to be  _ Richie _ , and Valtiel apparently agreed.  There was only one thing that  _ really _ served as a reminder that Richie was part of the order, and that was the pendant from his mother which hung on the stand of the large mirror in the corner of their bedroom.

Eddie stood in the kitchen doorway, watching as Richie worked on making the cake for Stan’s birthday. Since getting out of their hometown, they’d been sure to keep in touch, though Stan and Mike were able to actually live in an apartment in the nearby town since they didn’t have access to the same powers that Eddie did.  Richie turned, a grin spreading onto his face as he saw Eddie lingering in the doorway. “Well good morning there sleepy head. I was wondering if you planned to wake up and join me in the land of the conscious today.”

“Yet you didn’t wake me to make sure I did.” Eddie pointed out, pushing himself up from the doorframe and crossing the kitchen.

The smile faded from Richie’s face, replaced with a soft frown. “You had a rough time last night Eds, I wanted to let you get some more sleep. It’s not every night I wake up to see some our home metal and rustic.”

Eddie felt his chest flutter at that. Usually Richie referred to it as ‘the house’ or ‘home’. He’d never tacked on ‘our’ before. “Yeah uh… sorry about that. I didn’t know that I could do that when I was asleep.”

Richie wrapped his arms around Eddie, pulling him into his chest. “Never be sorry for how you feel Eds. I’m actually impressed you contained it to the bedroom. You’re getting better at controlling it… even subconsciously. How do you feel now?”

“Better. A lot better.”

“Can I ask?”

“The fire.”

Richie tightened his hold on Eddie, drawing him more into his chest. Since regaining his memories of everything that had happened when he’d met Alessa, Eddie was sometimes struck with nightmares about what happened. The smell of the fire, the taste of smoke, and even the feel of the flames on his skin. Eddie was torn between trying to repress the memories again and embracing them. It was part of his life, part of what had made him who he was, and not all of them were bad. There were some nice ones of Frank buried in there; taking him away from the town to somewhere safe. To Eddie, they made the bad ones worth dealing with.

Eddie leaned into Richie, tilting his head up kiss him slowly. Richie’s hands slid down to Eddie’s waist, hoisting him up and setting him on one of the counters with Eddie curling his legs around Richie’s waist to draw him closer. “You know we prepare food here, right?”

Richie hummed, though it sounded almost like a purr low in his chest. “Yeah, and there’s a very  _ Godly  _ meal that I want to prepare right now.”

“ _ Really Richie _ ?”

Richie grinned, shooting a hand up to catch Eddie’s wrist as he went to slap him. “Hey, come on Eds. Have a heart. What’s the point in me dating a mortal god if I can’t make a joke like this once in a while?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, sliding his arms around Richie’s neck. He was an inch away from reconnecting his mouth with Richie’s when a rapid knock sounded at the front door, pulling them apart with a collective groan. “Is it considered an abuse of my power if I trap Stan in the Otherworld once in a while? He’s always interrupting us.”

Richie let out a laugh, taking a step back from Eddie has he slid off the counter. “Now, now, in his defence we invited them here this time. Keep that mindset for whenever he drops by for surprise visits.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Eddie grumbled, heading for the door and yanking it open. “Stan, you need to learn to text a guy when you’re -”

Eddie fell silent when he was met with no one on the other side of the door, his brow furrowing in confusion. It wasn’t like he was hearing things. Richie had heard the knocking too. Shaking his head, Eddie started to close the door when the sound of something shifting with a soft coo grabbed his attention, drawing his eyes down to the porch. It was the most cliché thing Eddie had experienced. There was a baby, wrapped in a dirty white sheet on the porch, clutching something in their hand. Eddie crouched to get a better look at the item, recognizing it instantly. How could he not when he had the same thing in his bedroom? It was a pendant of the symbol of Valtiel’s order, and under where the child clutched it to their chest, there was a piece of paper attached to the blanket with a message that looked as though it had been scrawled down in a hurry.

_ This is what’s left of my goodness.  _

_ T _ _ ake care of her. _

_ \- Alessa _

And Eddie suddenly remembered his dream completely. He wasn’t the one in the fire. Alessa was, and she’d been clutching a wrapped bundle to her chest. She’d stumbled towards him, holding out the bundle and motioning for him to take it.


End file.
